Newcastle United have given themselves a brilliant chance of securing Premier League survival despite losing both of their last two matches. The Magpies sit nine points clear of the relegation zone with three teams between them and the trio of clubs currently sat in the drop zone.
There is still work to be done for Eddie Howe and his players in their next nine games but they shouldn’t need too many more positive results to confirm survival. The magical 40-point total that is often associated with staying in the top flight is just three wins away from Newcastle, although it is likely that a lesser tally would be enough.
Judging by the average points tallies accumulated by the 18th-placed Premier League sides since it became a 20-team league in 1995/96, a couple of victories would be plenty. In the last 23 seasons, the team that has finished 18th has, on average, finished with 35.65 points.
