Premier League winners and losers: West Ham, Crystal Palace continue unbeaten runs
By Ty Finch
Loser: Newcastle
There seem to be only two possible outcomes for the rest of Newcastle’s season. One option is that Mike Ashley sells the team like he’s been insinuating he will, Rafa Benitez buys players in January that he desperately needs and the Magpies stay in the Premier League for another season.
The other, morbidly depressing outcome is the opposite of the one above. Ashley doesn’t get the money that he thinks his club is worth, refuses to invest in January because he doesn’t want to spend his money, Newcastle are relegated and Benitez steps down from the job. At this point in the season, there doesn’t seem to be any in between.
Newcastle have lost eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. They lost against on Saturday against Arsenal thanks to a stunning Mesut Ozil volley. Their last win came against Crystal Palace in October. During this winless run, they’ve been outscored 19-6 and been shutout five times. These are dire times for the newly promoted club.
They face West Ham in their next match, but they’ve been in good form since David Moyes took over. There’s no confidence or belief in the squad, and it’s hard to see where they might pick up a win. Recent reports suggest Ashley will, in fact, sell the club for £300 million to businesswomen Amanda Staveley. The fans will be hoping that deal is done before the winter transfer window slams shut, or else their club seems destined for relegation.