Paul Merson has claimed that Newcastle United have every chance of finishing above Arsenal in the Premier League next season. His comments came on the back of the 2-0 win against the Gunners on Monday evening when Eddie Howe’s side were playing for nothing but pride against their Champions League-chasing opponents.
More than anything, it was an indicator of how far the club have come since the beginning of the season. The fans inside St James’ Park were rewarded for their fantastic support with the performance of the season on a night where the Magpies could have scored four or five.
Merson was horrified by the performance he saw from his former team. He said in his Daily Star column : “Newcastle could actually finish above Arsenal next season based on what I saw the other night - I'm not saying they will, but I was flabbergasted by what I saw in that game.
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“And I guarantee you there will be players at Arsenal now saying: "I want to leave if we don't get Champions League football." That's what sickens me the most.
“But they had their chance to qualify and they melted! It was bad enough they got thrashed by Tottenham. But then to lose to Newcastle… Every single player was a four out of ten in that game. I've never seen that before. Usually you have a couple who do the business. But every single player just didn't turn up.
“I was actually watching it wondering who finishes higher next season, Arsenal or Newcastle? The gulf was unreal. Only one team had nothing to play for in that game. But if you didn't know, you'd think it was Arsenal, because they just didn't turn up. I could not believe what I was watching.”
The performance against the Gunners showed the United hierarchy just how much they will be able to achieve on Tyneside. It is much more complex than expecting those showings every weekend next season and expecting to be challenging for the title – and no one’s saying that – but there is plenty to build on during the summer.
Further signings – along with improvements to the club’s infrastructure behind the scenes – will only increase the positivity surrounding United. It certainly isn’t hard to see why the Toon Army are finally enjoying watching their team play again!
