Newcastle United timewasting nonsense nailed once and for all – The truth | OneFootball

‘Newcastle United the biggest timewasters.’

‘Loads of people are saying it, it must be true.’

‘Look at these stats, there is the proof.’

We have all become accustomed to hearing the above in recent weeks and months, but one inconvenient thing remains for those saying it, is this claim of Newcastle United now being the ultimate cheating timewasters actually true?

Here is another quote…

‘Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.’

This one came from a certain Herr Goebbels.

Now just in case any of you didn’t stay awake at school during history lessons, he isn’t the latest manager appointed at Chelsea or indeed any other Premier League club.

His lies were a lot more sinister and part of a far bigger crime against humanity, than journalists and other Premier League bosses telling fibs about Newcastle United.

The principle is still the same though, keep repeating a lie and it becomes the accepted truth, rather than people making up their own minds.

Even after Sunday’s game at St James’ Park, I still heard presenters and pundits on TV and read journalists saying the same, saying about how ‘A lot of people’ have mentioned Newcastle United’s timewasting tactics this season.

Is this really true? How many people counts as ‘a lot’?

When it comes to football managers having talked about / claimed Newcastle United as timewasters, I count three.

That trio are Jurgen Klopp, Erik ten Hag and Mikel Arteta.

The potential evidence that backs up their claims is, for me, late on in the goalless draw at Old Trafford we saw Eddie Howe’s team settle for the point and ‘game manage’ the situation to try and ensure that happened. The same at Anfield back in August, when a much weakened NUFC had actually been the better team for an hour or so, had gone a goal up and it could / should have been two, if not for a very harsh VAR decision, then when Liverpool did equalise, once again Eddie Howe then accepted that a point would now be a great result and had his team try to ‘game manage’ the situation again, only for the referee to keep playing until the scousers scored. The third bit of evidence, Newcastle went to top of the table Arsenal in January, a team who had never failed to score at home and won every single PL game this season at the Emirates, Joelinton missing an absolute close in sitter on the stroke of half-time, so Eddie Howe having his team ‘game manage’ that second half.

The net result of this trio of away games at three of the ‘big six’ was two away draws and that should have been three, if not for the Anfield referee.

That is why Klopp and especially Arteta and ten Hag were upset, because Newcastle United were no longer rolling over for easy wins / defeats.

Name me another Premier League boss who this season has claimed Newcastle United are habitual timewasters???

I’ll give you the answer, nobody!

Yet the way the journalists, pundits and TV presenters go on, you would think at the end of every game, the opposing manager was calling out Eddie Howe and Newcastle United for these cheating conniving dirty tricks.

It simply isn’t true.

What is true, is that so much of the media are still happy, either consciously or subconsciously, to be the mouthpieces of the self-appointed elite. Erik ten Hag keeps saying Newcastle United are timewasters and the media simply keep repeating what he says, rather than actually tell the truth, what they can see with their own eyes.

With Erik ten Hag and Man U, it has got all ‘Alice through the looking glass’, everything is reversed, logic doesn’t mean anything anymore…

After that goalless draw in October at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag had a point if / when saying that towards the very end of that match, Newcastle were trying to use up as much time as possible to see the game out. It is hardly a revolutionary idea / tactic, EVERY team does it, to greater or lesser extents.

However, what has happened since then and Erik ten Hag repeating this stuff about supposed habitual Newcastle United timewasting, has become truly mental. The only thing more mental about it, has been the media keep repeating what the Man U boss says, without actually comparing it to the reality.

Ahead of the Carabao Cup final, ten Hag went on and on about how he hoped the referee would be alert to Newcastle United timewasting that could spoil the flow of the game. A pretty even first half saw Man U take their chances and Newcastle United nit take theirs.

For the entire second half, Erik ten Hag had his team, especially his goalkeeper…, timewasting from the first whistle. David de Gea taking forever on every goal-kick, players lying down with ‘injuries’, taking ages on throw-ins and corners, it was only towards the very end that the referee said anything to de Gea.

Yet amazingly (or not!) the media said nothing about this very very obvious timewasting. Eddie Howe has integrity and didn’t look to make excuses for the defeat, although plenty of Newcastle fans were pointing out the very obvious timewasting by Man U.

The media stayed silent until…the build up to Sunday’s match, incredibly, still happy to repeat Erik ten Hag’s line about Newcastle’s (mythical) habitual timewasting, rather than the truth that Man U are far worse offenders, when it comes to games between the two this season…

Sunday at St James’ Park, from the very first minute some shocking timewasting, from Man U…especially David de Gea.

It was laughable, especially when you compare what ten Hag had continued to claim and the media happy to repeat.

This flagrant timewasting from the visitors continued all the way through the game until…Newcastle United scored!

Amazingly, Man U and especially de Gea, no longer timewasting, quite the opposite.

No surprise though that whilst the referee had said absolutely nothing to David de Gea and teammates about their obvious timewasting, as soon as Newcastle had scored with 25 minutes remaining, when Nick Pope went to take his very first goal-kick after Willock’s goal, the referee was straight over to warn him not to waste time!

You would almost think that it was all a cynical ploy by Erik ten Hag to talk about supposed NUFC timewasting so often ahead of matches, with a belief that referees will hear this message repeated through the media continually, then when it gets to during matches, the Man U manager’s words actually bringing about the desired result. Who would have believed it???

As I said earlier, if a lie keeps getting repeated then it becomes the accepted truth for so many people. Sadly, that including people who matter, such as the match officials.

When it comes to stats ‘proving’ this supposed habitual Newcastle United timewasting, things become equally crazy.

The thing is, when it comes to pretty much any stats, you also have to use any other relevant info before coming to any conclusions, especially what you see with your own eyes. You know, when you actually watch the matches and see what happens.

When it comes to supposedly compelling stats that allegedly ‘prove’ Newcastle United are timewasters, the stat they put up, is the one about how what percentage of a team’s matches on average, is the ball in play.

Back on 25 February 2o23 (the day before the Carabao Cup final), BBC Sport were happy to back up Erik ten Hag and published these – Premier League 2022-2023 ball-in-play percentages:

Manchester City 61.6%

Liverpool 58.7%

Leicester City 58.6%

Tottenham Hotspur 58.4%

West Ham United 57.6%

Manchester United 57.3%

Brighton and Hove Albion 56.3%

Wolverhampton Wanderers 56.0%

Crystal Palace 55.9%

Bournemouth 55.5%

Southampton 55.5%

Nottingham Forest 55.4%

Arsenal 55.3%

Chelsea 55.2%

Fulham 55.2%

Everton 55.0%

Aston Villa 54.7%

Brentford 53.3%

Newcastle United 52.3%

Leeds United 51.8%

I’m guessing nothing has radically changed with the above stats, as NUFC have only had four PL matches since these stats were published.

The gap (5.0%) between NUFC and MUFC was pretty much the same as that (4.3%) between MCFC and MUFC . Why didn’t the media then ask Erik ten Hag why their ball in play total is so low compared to Man City, indeed, they were lower than relegation battlers Leicester and West Ham amongst others.

Well that doesn’t suit the narrative does it??? Manchester United the good guys, Newcastle United (and whoever else…) the spoilers.

More importantly though, do these ball in play stays actually equate to ‘proving’ which Premier League teams are habitual timewasters and which aren’t?

This season, watching pretty much every single minute of every single Newcastle United match, I know for sure that Eddie Howe’s side are not boring to watch and don’t time waste week after week throughout game after game.

So…could there be another reason or reasons that make Newcastle United matches generally have the ball in play less than games played by other Premier League clubs?

Could there actually even be a….very positive reason, or reasons, why Newcastle United are towards the lowest end of these ball in play stats?

If we are honest, most possession / ball in play these days in modern football, consists largely of the ball getting endlessly played across the defence, from one side of the pitch to the other, with occasional midfield touches that usually are simply more negative play that simply sees the ball once again going backwards or sideways.

Newcastle United do this now to an extent (as well as always at the same time looking to play it or carry it forward if the opportunity presents), now we have a manager who is keen to use ball playing defenders like Botman and Schar, unlike the previous one who liked defenders just to boot it up the pitch and play as little football as possible.

However, out of possession, Eddie Howe has Newcastle United in an overwhelming percentage of games, playing very differently to Bruceyball as well.

Instead of allowing the opposition to endlessly play the ball about in safe areas, Howe has his team continually with a very high press, which means repeatedly that very quickly the opposition defenders or goalkeepers end up having to boot it long…often out of play, either directly, or when it ends up reaching a player of either side and then goes out, as they compete for the ball, or a free-kick is given.

So instead of maybe 30-60 seconds of easy going nowhere safe possession (ball in play!) at the back, it is instead 10-15 seconds very often, before the ball is forced to be launched and there is then a stoppage (ball out of play!) for a free-kick or throw in etc.

I don’t have the stats BUT I don’t need them, my own eyes tell me this is the case. Look at what happened on Sunday, Man U timewasting whilst from the very start, three or four Newcastle players around the edge of the Man U box when they had a goal-kick, NUFC players ready to sprint towards their opponents if David de Gea dared to play it out short and Man U try to play out from the back. Man U hated this, with keeper and defenders ending up hitting it long where possession was gifted back to Newcastle, either the ball went straight out of play, or stayed in play with NUFC players winning the challenges. Erik ten Hag after the game even came out and related how Newcastle won over two thirds of challenges with their opponents (see HERE).

It is quite incredible that so many in the media are prepared to swallow and repeat this lie about supposed habitual NUFC timewasting, when at the same time they week after week, in the vast majority of cases, rave about Newcastle United’s playing style this season.

As I said earlier, apart from Arteta, ten Hag and Klopp, where are all these other PL managers calling out NUFC for timewasting?

In the vast majority of Newcastle United matches this season, if there has been any significant timewasting going on, it has been from those playing AGAINST NUFC.

When it comes to timewasting NUFC have most definitely been more sinned against than sinners themselves.

Eddie Howe has Newcastle playing good football when in possession and when out of it (possession) having this brave high energy high up the pitch press, to try and ensure NUFC get it (possession) back ASAP.

The truth is out there, if you look for it…