Liverpool 2-2 Newcastle - The 'Index 6'

Although the odds are still attacked against us, at least Newcastle are not surrendering their Premier League status with a whimper. The fightback at Anfield showed the type of commitment and passion that will be needed if we are to complete a miraculous escape for the second year in succession.

Here are six things from this weekend’s game.

That comeback would never have been possible under Steve McClaren

If Newcastle had conceded a goal after a minute of a game under the previous regime, most fans would have been able to pick up their stuff and go home. The McClaren Newcastle would have capitulated, and conceded five or six. But under Rafael Benitez, this new Newcastle is made of sterner stuff. Even when Lallana swept in a wonderful second for the home side, Newcastle didn’t panic. They made sure that no further damage was done before the interval, and then the Spanish maestro earned his money this week.

The couple of little changes he apparently made at half-time worked wonders, and the Black and Whites looked a different side in the second half – helped, of course, by the early goal that gave them belief.

The evidence of what a top manager can do is plain to see, so why didn’t Lee Charnley make the change earlier?

The $64 million question. To cut a long story short, the simple answer to this, in my opinion, is merely that he wanted to save face. He refused to admit that had got it wrong by appointing McClaren in the first place.

The next question of course is: How much is Charnley’s stubborn streak going to cost Newcastle?

The answer of course is up for debate over the next three weeks, but make no mistake about it, if that man had cared more about the football club he is in charge of, and less about holding his hands up and admitting his mistake, then Benitez would probably have had the team looking towards mid-table mediocrity than being embroiled in a last ditch effort to cling on to the Premier League shirt-tails.

Lascelles is turning into a heck of a player

He still has fallibilities. He is still learning his trade. He is still young. But Jamaal Lascelles is starting to look like a proper footballer. His all round play has been fantastic over the last few weeks. Even in defeat, he has showed the spirit and attitude that will see him go from strength to strength.

To see a youngster come into the team, having virtually not been given a look in previously, and play the game with no evident fear, and feel confident enough to grab the back four by the scruff of the neck and become the leader of it, has been one of the few success stories this season.

Off the pitch, his calculated comments to the press, in which he has not been afraid to question, and call-out, his more experienced teammates for their attitude and performances, shows the character of a future captain of our club.

I just hope that when Fabricio Coloccini (remember him?) is ‘fit’ again, that Benitez does not sacrifice Lascelles to bring him back into the fray.

Newcastle cannot continue to give teams a goal start

The last two games both saw Newcastle fight back for a point in games that we were not really expected to get anything from. The fact that they did it in both from being an early goal down – and two goals at Liverpool – makes them even better points. I realise that Sergio Aguero’s goal on Tuesday should not have stood, whether because he was offside, or because it should not have been a free-kick in the first place, you can make your own choice on, but the fact was, we still conceded first. However, if we are to give ourselves every chance of pulling this escape off, we cannot continue to allow the opposition to score first. The next three games are too important to allow any mistakes.

Take the Crystal Palace game next weekend. If they go a goal ahead, Alan Pardew and his smug attitude will have them giving everything to make sure we cannot break them down. Then there is Aston Villa the week after. If they go a goal ahead, there relegation already confirmed, may just give them the licence to express themselves with a confidence thay have not had all season. Lest we forget, we still owe their arrogant, gloating fans for their final day jibes the last time we went down.

Then there is the final game against Tottenham. In an ideal world, Leicester will have already sealed the title (it still hurts me to say that) and Spurs will have secured a second or third placed finish, thus guaranteeing them a Champions League Group stage slot. Then, hopefully, they will not be all guns blazing. Because should they still be in with a sniff of the title, and we gift them the lead, there will be no harder task than trying to snatch that title opportunity away from them – regardless of what it may mean for us to win.

Everton’s defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final could be good news for Newcastle

With Everton having a potentially pivotal part to play in the relegation fight, the fact that they have lost in the Cup semi-final could turn out to be a blessing for Newcastle. They have both Norwich and Sunderland to play before the end of the season, and the worry for me was, that if they had made it to the final, they would have had an eye on that game, and Roberto Martinez would have been tempted to rest players in those league games in order to keep them fit for Wembley.

Now that they are out, and Martinez very much under pressure, hopefully the players will come out with a point to prove, and do their utmost to show they are still playing for their manager.

I would be very disappointed now if they did not put out full strength sides in those games now. Every fibre in my body hopes that is the case anyway!

It is too easy to think “but what if…”

I try not to look back too much, but, as a writer looking through stats, old performances, reviewing games, and looking for trends, it is a necessary evil.

After the final whistle, while letting my heart-rate slow down, my mind started wandering. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help but think…

“What if… we hadn’t given that ridiculous late goal away at Norwich having just got level?” The answer of course, is that we would now be sitting out of the bottom three, and, although still in the mix, we would have been feeling a lot more comfortable than we currently do.

“What if… Georginio Wijnaldum had just squared the ball for Jack Colback in the closing stages against Man City on Tuesday?” Well, he would almost certainly have slotted the ball home and probably given Newcastle a priceless win against all the odds, and would have gone a long way to keeping us up.

“What if… Benitez had been given the ‘Top eight and a run in the cup’ task at the start of the season instead of the Wally with the Brolly?” That one just wants me to bring my morning corn flakes back up again. I am almost certain we [the fans] wouldn’t be going through this turmoil now.

And then finally:

“What if… I didn’t support Newcastle United at all?” Well, I could probably stop taking my blood-pressure tablets. My wife wouldn’t hate me every weekend. I wouldn’t have to sit and worry about the permutations of what happens if X beats Y in the game I am watching. But you know what? For all the “whats”, the “if onlys”, the “WTFs”, the pulling out of hair, the nail-biting, the yelling at a referee or Match of the Day pundit that cannot hear me, the stick from fans of other clubs that think they know my club better than I do, the constant hoping for the best, but expecting the worst, the heartache and the migraines…

I would not swap supporting Newcastle United… never in a million years!