It is safe to say Newcastle United have come a long way in recent years. Following promotion in 2017, Premier League finishes of tenth, 13th, 13th, 12th and 11th during their first five years looked like they had established themselves as a side who wouldn’t quite achieve a European place, but who also wouldn’t suffer relegation.
This changed when Howe arrived, as his first full season saw the Magpies claim a stunning fourth place finish during 2022/23, their highest since 2012.
While they could only secure seventh place last term, hopes are high after a promising start this year and Howe certainly appears to be the man to take the club back into Europe.
Long gone are the days when Sam Allardyce was in charge, as the club slipped back down the table rather than forcing their way up as contenders for Champions League qualification.
Sam Allardyce’s Newcastle statistics
At Bolton, ‘Big Sam’ created a team that not only secured promotion to the top flight, but one that remained there until 2012, with players such as Ivan Campo, Fernando Hierro and Jay-Jay Okocha ensuring they were one of the finest cult teams in the history of the Premier League.
He even secured European football for the club and came close to winning the League Cup in 2004, but when the Toon job became available, he took the opportunity with both hands.
The Englishman made a promising start to life at Newcastle, recording five wins and two draws from their opening nine league matches, but form started to drop off.
He was sacked in January 2008 after just eight months in charge, failing to inspire the team to much success.
Might it have been a different story had he signed the players he wanted to bring to Newcastle? Rather than settling for those who failed to make a difference.
Newcastle’s signings under Sam Allardyce
During the summer of 2007, players such as Alan Smith, Joey Barton, Mark Viduka and Habib Beye arrived at St James Park – to varying degrees of success.
Hopes were high that Allardyce could attract high-class players due to his stature in the Premier League, but it didn’t quite turn out like that, which ultimately led to his downfall at the club.
Player
Club signed from
Alan Smith
Manchester United
Mark Viduka
Middlesbrough
Joey Barton
Manchester City
Jose Enrique
Villarreal
David Rozehnal
PSG
Abdoulaye Faye
Bolton
Habib Beye
Marseille
Geremi
Chelsea
Claudio Cacapa
Lyon
One of the most experienced players who linked up with Allardyce was former Real Madrid gem Geremi, who had featured for Chelsea under José Mourinho.
Geremi’s statistics at Newcastle
The Cameroonian won the Champions League and La Liga titles with Madrid during a three-year spell in the capital before moving to Chelsea in 2003. After 109 appearances in which he won the Premier League twice, Geremi was available on a free transfer.
Allardyce wasted no time, snapping him up that summer. Geremi would play just 54 times for the Magpies during his spell in the north-east as he was clearly slowing down as a player.
While the utility midfielder was seen as somewhat of a decent signing, things may have turned out a lot better for the club had they signed one of their main targets – Luka Modrić.
Newcastle missed out on Luka Modric in 2007
Speaking a few years after leaving the club, Allardyce claimed that he was keen on bringing the playmaker to Newcastle during his first summer transfer window, saying:
“I was then on the way to getting Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb, but by then, Mike saw the scale of the full debut and put the clamps on, so I had to make do with Geremi from Chelsea.”
What might have been at St James Park if the manager had gotten his wish and signed the young Croatian talent 17 years ago? He could have potentially saved his job, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The current Real Madrid star hasn’t done too badly since then.
Luka Modric’s career statistics
Modric did eventually end up in the Premier League, but it wasn’t with Newcastle. After impressing in his homeland, he joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2008, going on to make a total of 160 appearances for the London club, emerging as a player to watch.
Former teammate Darren Bent hailed Modric as “incredible” before lavishing further praise on his ex-teammate while speaking about him, saying: “When Luka joined Spurs, the first thing you noticed was his technique.
“I had played against him for England but when you watched him up close, he was a player you knew straight away was levels above everyone.”
His performances clearly impressed Real Madrid, who came in for him in the summer of 2012, going on to become a club legend.
The 39-year-old has played nearly 550 games for the club, winning all there is to win in the process, but it has been at international level in which Modric has demonstrated his influence.
Not only did he lead Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final (losing 4-2 to France), but he came close to repeating the trick four years later, as the country had to settle for a third-place finish.
This is remarkable given the nation has a population of just 3.8m, smaller than Scotland. For his exploits in Russia and his club displays for Madrid in 2018, the midfielder won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player from Croatia to win the award.
What could have been if Modric had signed for Newcastle all those years ago? Would he have become a club legend? Unfortunately, no one will know, but his career trajectory may have changed significantly if he had pitched up on Tyneside rather than in North London, that’s for sure.
As it is, the Magpies – and ‘Big Sam’ – had to settle for Geremi…
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