With Newcastle United still in the danger zone of a Premier League exit, we bring you another Relegation Rundown.
Yes, there is optimism at Newcastle United right now. They stunned Manchester City earlier this week, their second straight Premier League win, and there are actually exciting players arriving in the transfer window. But, they are still not out of the danger zone for relegation from the Premier League. For that, we bring you this month’s Relegation Rundown. (To read January’s edition, click here)
The Current Bottom Three
20. Huddersfield Town (Loss vs. NUFC on 12/15)
(11 points, -28 goal differential)
Their last win, in any competition, came on November 25th. Since then, they have lost 11 matches and drawn once. David Wagner left the club and they will leave the Premier League in a few months.
19. Fulham (Draw vs. NUFC on 12/22)
(17 points, -28 goal differential)
They’ve been competitive in a lot of their matches lately, including only losing by one goal in two of their last three and beating Brighton last week. Former Magpie Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a brace in their win over Brighton, bringing his goal total to ten on the season.
18. Cardiff City (Draw vs. NUFC on 8/18, Loss vs. NUFC on 1/19)
(19 points, -26 goal differential)
For a while, the Bluebirds were able to stay above the relegation zone. Now, as many predicted before the year, they find themselves in the bottom three. More importantly, our thoughts are all with Cardiff City and the family of Emiliano Sala.
Last year’s bottom three on this date
18. Southampton: SURVIVED
19. Swansea City: RELEGATED
20. West Bromwich Albion: RELEGATED
The Other Contenders
17. Burnley (Loss vs. NUFC on 11/26)
(23 points, -20 goal differential)
The Clarets snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as they blew a two-goal lead at the end of 90 minutes to settle for a draw vs. Manchester United. But, it was their fifth point from their last three Premier League matches, moving them out of the bottom three.
16. Southampton (Draw vs. NUFC on 10/27)
(23 points, -15 goal differential)
The Saints did not lose any of their four Premier League matches in January. They upset Everton and Leicester, secured a big draw vs. Chelsea, and finished scoreless this week vs. Crystal Palace.
15. Crystal Palace (Draw vs. NUFC on 9/22)
(23 points, -9 goal differential)
They were nearly out of the woods entirely in last month’s edition, but only four points from their four matches in January find themselves still in the mix.
14. NEWCASTLE UNITED
(24 points, -11 goal differential)
Things are trending up for the Toon with back-to-back wins in the Premier League. They’ve also escaped their murderous December and January schedule with some momentum and new players arriving. Ironically, they find themselves in the exact same spot (on the table and on points) as of February 1st of last year.
13. Brighton and Hove Albion (Won vs. NUFC on 10/20)
(26 points, -9 goal differential)
Newcastle United’s automatic promotion partner in 2017 is nearly clear of this discussion. Despite not winning a Premier League match in January, the Seagulls and Chris Hughton are only seven points of the 10th position. They face West Brom next week for their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
This Month’s Head-to-Head Matchups
2/2
Burnley vs. Southampton
Crystal Palace vs. Fulham
2/9
Southampton vs. Cardiff City
Brighton vs. Burnley
2/23
NEWCASTLE UNITED vs. Huddersfield Town
2/27
Southampton vs. Fulham
NEWCASTLE UNITED vs. Burnley