Premier League Preview

The 2011-12 Premier League season is shaping up to be a very interesting one as far as Newcastle United are concerned. A summer in which the £35m from the sale of Andy Carroll was promised to be reinvested has nearly come to a conclusion. Instead of big name, big price-tag players arriving at St James's, Newcastle have sold their inspirational captain, had a tour to America somewhat wasted by a combination of injury and visa issues, and made their player of last season available on a free transfer. Of course, at Newcastle United, soap opera politics are a given, and with the frankly bizarre friendly against fiorentina the most recent event in the club's mad-cap recent history, nothing is a surprise to the fans anymore. As they prepare to face Arsenal in their opening game of the season, have done enough to improve their squad sufficiently and finish higher than their 12th place of last year?

Goalkeepers:
Although no goalkeepers have been signed during the summer, it could be seen that Newcastle have still increased their depth between the sticks. Fraser Forster, out on loan at Scottish giants, Celtic last year, has returned and is seemingly up for the competition of becoming Newcastle's number one. Steve Harper is now 36, and last year showed glimpses that it may be time for united to install a new first team regular. In the last year it is Tim Krul who has made the greatest claim. He has gone from strength to strength, getting much more game time than in his previous four years with Newcastle. This culminated in a call-up to the Dutch national team in June, earning two caps against Brazil and Uruguay. From Pardew's pre season team selections, it would appear that he feels Krul is the man he feels can be Newcastle's 'keeper for the next few years.

Defence:
Nothing much has changed defensively over the last few months. Newcastle have been linked with a seemingly never-ending list of left backs from across the globe. But with Jose Enrique still employed by the club there has so far, been no need to replace the Bull of St James's park. Surely, however it can only be a matter of time before his proposed move to Liverpool finally clicks into place, and Enrique moves west. The hope amongst the geordie faithful is that the Newcastle hierachy have a pre-arranged replacement for the want-away Spaniard .

Midfield:
If you were to ask a Newcastle fan what areas of the team were in need of bolstering at the end of last season, most would have probably highlighted the need for strengthening in defence, and for one or two new strikers. It is odd then, that so far, of the four first team players brought in, three have been midfielders. The sale of Kevin Nolan to West Ham is a deal that many fans saw as the heart being pulled out of the team, but with the summer additions of Obertan, Marveaux and Cabaye, plus the return of Hatem Ben Arfa, and the return of forgotten man, Dan Gosling, Newcastle surely have one of the strongest midfields outside of the top four.

Attackers:
After the well documented loss of Andy Carroll in January, Newcastle were visibly short of firepower in the second half of the season. It was important therefore that the club strengthened heavily at the business end of the pitch. Since May, Newcastle have only managed to add Demba Ba to their list of strikers, leaving them with 3 players in Leon Best, Shola Ameobi and Ba, that are all very similar players; all three are tall and muscular; there is therefore a worry that this will leave the team very short on tactical options, with the long ball up to a big man not matching h the additions of pace and flair in midfield.. Ameobi has been tied down to a new contract, something which I see as a definite positive. Yes he is frustrating, and yes, he will never be a 20+ goals a season man, but he has a passion for the club that I feel is important to keep.hopefully he won't be relied on as heavily as in previous years if Newcastle manage to bring in at least one more striker before the 31st August, and I tend to feel that the board have seen the importance of having at least some continuity within the squad.

As a Newcastle fan, I feel that the immediate aim of the club should be to stabilise, therefore Premier League survival should be the first target. Anything after that would be a bonus. Talks of pushing for Europe are somewhat premature, as despite considerable strengthening, the team is still someway of the likes of Tottenham or Everton. Although it is something that should be aimed for in the near future, qualifying for Europe during the rebuilding of the club could do more harm than good, as the squad was visibly stretched last year after just playing Premier League and domestic cup games.

My Prediction: 12th