It’s a dangerous game but I can’t but think if only Newcastle United had… | OneFootball

All eyes on Saturday now for Newcastle United.

A massive match against Fulham.

That’s the thing of course, when you end up performing well in the Premier League, every game suddenly comes so much more important.

Like the rest of you, my stress levels are on the rise.

I wouldn’t change it for anything though, especially all those wasted Mike Ashley years, lower mid-table mediocrity at best for us – season after season, at worst – fighting relegation.

When it comes to present day hopes and expectations, naturally nothing more stressful than next midweek and that Arsenal match possibly leading to Wembley, already 2-0 up and ours to lose…

I wanted though to concentrate on just the Premier League here.

I keep thinking, if only Newcastle United hadn’t lost against Bournemouth.

At the same time, I remind myself how ungrateful that might appear, considering Eddie Howe and his team had won the other 10 of the last 11 games in all competitions.

That is what raised expectations do to you though, which we can only ‘blame’ Eddie Howe and his players for…

This is how the Premier League table looks ahead of the weekend:

As I mentioned, I know it sounds a bit ungrateful BUT just look how this table would have looked if Eddie Howe had made it a perfect 11 out of 11, instead of ‘only’ 10 out of 11.

A win over Bournemouth instead of a defeat would have meant:

Newcastle United third in the table

Newcastle United three points clear of Man City in fifth

Newcastle United four points clear of Chelsea in sixth

Newcastle United seven points clear of Bournemouth in seventh

I’m not claiming NUFC would have been already getting the passports out BUT fact is, it would have put Newcastle into a very strong position, especially with then what looks a very winnable game at home to Fulham.

Especially with it looking overwhelmingly likely that the Premier League will get a fifth place in next season’s Champions League, it could/would have looked very much like a five from six clubs, rather than at least a five from seven as it actually does now.

Bournemouth are suddenly looking very much a threat, whereas if the result at SJP had gone the other way, then they would have been seven points adrift of Newcastle now and the Cherries with Liverpool to play this coming weekend.

As football fans we all play the ‘what might have been’ game if only we’d won this and that match, conveniently forgetting the games where the fine margins and luck was on our side.