I know it’s pretty impossible to tell what will happen in the Premier League, mainly because no one expected last season to end in the outstandingly entertaining way it did, but I would like to try. Here is my potential top five for the Premier League:

1. Manchester City:

In Villa Park yesterday it felt as though City were laying down a gauntlet in the 12 second half minutes in which they scored three goals. They still haven’t made a new signing, although a deal for Jack Rodwell is soon to be finalised, but do they really need to? Considering the fact Stefan Savic is back up to either Joleon Lescott or the imperious Vincent Kompany a top class defender is essential and Daniel Agger would fit the bill. All the talk of bringing in Van Persie seems a bit pointless considering they have a choice in attack between Balotelli, Aguero, Dzeko and Tevez.

Carlos Tevez will be vital for City this season as he will act like the new signing if he can stay as focused as Mancini claims he is. His link up play with Aguero could be one of the factors the boys in the MOTD studio are raving about if City reclaim the title next season. Although a lack of signings tends to be seen as negative City fans will gladly settle for a new centre back as well as Jack Rodwell, as long as reborn Carlos Tevez can play like we all know he can. If he does then I can’t see City finishing below first again.

2. Manchester United:

Although we haven’t had a revolution of new signings in the red half of Manchester this season Shinji Kagawa looks to be an astute one. After all the theatrics involved with Eden Hazards move, United fans will be pleased to hear that Kagawa has better stats lasts season than Hazard and played in a league viewed by many as playing at a higher level. However, something strange has been happening at Old Trafford this pre-season, instead of plenty of enthusiastic fans getting excited about a new season, a split is starting to appear.

Due to his uncompromising backing of the increasingly dodgy looking Glazer regime, Sir Alex Ferguson no longer has the total backing of the majority of the fans. Petitions are being written, letters sent to the Scot and fans even questioning that the reason for his almost blind loyalty is down to money not the love of the club.

If you told this to anyone in football ten years a go they would have laughed in your face before assuming you were a City fan incognito. With uncertain times off the pitch at least Fergie can rely upon Vidic to return and sort out a defence that looked nervy at best during last season. Not only that but United had 14 players missing through injury when things looked worrying and won’t be expecting the lightning strike of bad luck to hit twice in two seasons.

Even with all that in mind, I think they need to step up the pursuit of Van Persie or bring in another striker as they could be looking to the FA or League cup for realistic silverware. City’s potential dynasty could have begun last May and with the momentum on their side it’ll take a lot to stop them.

3. Chelsea:

With a dazzling array of creative and exciting stars added to the midfield line up at Chelsea, you’d expect them to improve on their worst league finish since Roman Abramovich took control of the club. Although the glory of that final in Munich will still be sung about in the crowd the challenge for Di Matteo starts now.

With the addition of Hazard, Marin and Oscar means that Chelsea have addressed the lack of creativity in the midfield and after a good summer for El Nino picking up the golden boot, perhaps Torres will finally come good in blue. I am very excited about the new Chelsea line up as they now potentially have the best midfield in the league. For this reason I believe that they will finish top of the London league, which has some way to go to better the Manc alternative. Arsenal and Spurs have made changes but I think that due to the defensive resilience shown toward the end of last season, mixed with the creativity added this summer, all that is needed at Stamford Bridge is someone to convert the chances into goals. This could be the season that Torres returns.

4. Arsenal:

Thanks to Manchester mania taking over the race for the Premier League last season, Arsenal’s third position in the League was under rated in my opinion. We all remember the atrocious start to the season Wenger’s team made, after what he described as ‘the most disturbed pre-season I know’, and to finish in third was a feat unfairly ignored. To replicate that finish will be even more difficult considering the reinforcements brought in at Chelsea and the threat of Tottenham under AVB.

In Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski are signs to be optimistic at the Emirates this season. For me Arsenal will do well to finish fourth as one of the reasons they did so well in the league last year was thanks to a terrible run by Spurs in the second half of the season and Chelsea’s own disaster start under AVB. Arsenal were able to capitalise on others hiccups tremendously last year so if I am wrong and they do replicate third in the league or better then I hope it is the start of something and not just the final hurrah under a Premier League legend in Arsene Wenger.

5. Tottenham:

The debate about AVB will go on and on but it won’t be decided until Tottenham’s season begins. AVB’s time at Chelsea is better left as a bad sporting memory and will either be looked back on as a minor blip on an outstanding managerial career or it’ll be the first piece of evidence people use when damning him into the pit of Premier League failures.

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Luka Modric looks set to finally leave much to the dismay of the White Hart Lane faithful. This could be a blessing in disguise with the money they should receive for him will allow them to finally add to an attack that, right now, only consists of Jermain Defoe. Deals are in progress, we are told, for Adebayor and Leandro Damiao, the latter could prove to be a fantastic signing, but with the kick off to the 2012/13 season just around the corner it’s hard to see where the goals will come from on a regular basis.

On the bright side though the addition of Vertonghen and Sigurdsson will make the lose of King and Modric, if/when he leaves, easier to deal with. Vertonghen’s arrival from Ajax is a real coup with many in the Dutch sides camp saying that he is better than Vermaelen was when he left Ajax for another North London club a few years a go.

For me though this is a year of transition for Spurs and a finish in the top four should be viewed as nothing short of excellent. However if we see any of the suicidal defending present this time last year at Chelsea we may not see AVB around for very long.

Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind. These are just some of the big names that have joined the Louis van Gaal bandwagon at Manchester United after a miserable 2013/2014 under the guidance of former Everton gaffer David Moyes. Looking at the players that the Dutchman has recruited, as well as the players already at the club, it’s safe to say that scoring goals won’t be a problem for the Old Trafford side.

However, on the basis of the start of the 2014/2015 campaign, a panic stricken backline has been the fundamental reason why the Red Devils have dropped vital points. After losing valuable experience in the shape of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra to QPR, Inter Milan and Juventus respectively, the likes of Jonny Evans, Rafael and youngster Tyler Blackett have been exposed at the back on several occasions.

Although the club are in a transitional period, winning one game in six in all competitions, conceding 12 goals in the process is not the ‘Manchester United way’. With a mega spend on the frontline, splashing the cash on a world class defender should be the priority in order for the 20 times Premier League champions to at least bring Champions League football back to the red side of Manchester.

One notable centre half that would fit perfectly into the heart of the defence is Mats Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund centre back is your all round, complete defender. As well as revelling in the tackle and reading the game, the Germany international has the capability to compose players around him and play from the back. Strong in the air, and a decent target man from set pieces, the strong defender can also provide the occasional goal. In the 2012/2013 season, the Dortmund centre back made more tackles than any of his teammates and committed the second fewest fouls in the side. With reported interest already rife for Hummels, van Gaal should make the German signing on the dotted line at Old Trafford his main priority in January.

An alternative to Hummels, one of the best defenders in the world, is Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian defender Miranda. Probably a surprise to many not to be selected for Luis Felipe Scolari’s World Cup squad, the centre half had a magnificent 2013/2014 campaign, that included aiding Atletico Madrid win the La Liga title and reaching the Champions League final. Also being courted by Premier League rivals, the 30-year-old can bring vital experience to a youthful United defence that includes 18-year-old £27m left back Luke Shaw and youth prodigy Tyler Blackett. Despite not being the tallest centre half at 6”0, Miranda has an incredible leap, as well as good awareness and a quiet aggression.

United’s leaky backline is something that teams will look to exploit. However, despite the lack of experience, the potential is there for the likes of Shaw, Blackett and Rojo to establish themselves as players that can be relied upon. Nevertheless, with the undoubted quality of the forward line causing havoc in the Premier League, a world class and experienced centre half is desperately needed.

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The Premier League is up and running, and already we have our first controversial moment, courtesy of Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.

This summer’s sport has provided a genuine feel good-factor, and with the country still basking in Olympic glory the pressure was on the returning Premier League to continue in this vein of fair play and decency. But Pardew’s shove on assistant referee Stuart Burt seemed to bring everyone back down to earth with a bump.

The FA have charged the Newcastle boss with misconduct, and the press and several fans forums seem to have been deeply offended by the incident.  Having watched it back several times, I can’t help but feel that is a bit over the top.

The 51-year-old described the incident as ‘comical’ in his groveling apology. I personally would have described it as hilarious. Not  so much the incident itself, but the reaction that followed from Pardew was priceless.

He realised instantly what a cock-up he had made as soon as Stuart Burt turned to confront him. He turned away unable to look the linesman in the eye, and continued to shout his complaints at nobody in particular.

When approached by Martin Atkinson he just stood there like a schoolboy in his short sleeved white shirt and tie, looking sheepish as he received his telling off. He had no answers, no explanation. It was simply a moment of madness.

His attempts to get hold of a headset from his assistant John Carver under the nose of fourth official Lee Mason was also hilarious. As he tried to sneak back into the dugout to grab it and relay some last minute instructions, Mason turned and snapped at him to get up to the stands pronto. It was similar to the actions of somebody refused entry to a nightclub, but pleading with security to let them in quickly to ‘talk to their mates.’

The whole incident was simply ridiculous, and Pardew clearly spent his time in the directors box – otherwise known as ‘the naughty corner’ – coming up with a way to minimize the damage.

He settled for the ‘comical’ approach, play the incident down and just keep smiling. Nobody can stay angry somebody with a smile on their face surely?

“I was saying to the players about the great Olympics and to set an example. And they all did that … except for me.” he told his post match press conference, with comedic timing Jimmy Carr would have been proud of.

Well he won me over. I don’t think the push was overly aggressive, and you can tell by his reaction Pardew regretted it as soon as it happened. Like a child getting caught swearing, he knew what he had done but it was too late to change it.

It seemed like he had meticulously thought and rehearsed his post match interview with Match of the Day several times, and I think if your willing to go to that much effort to make light of a moment of madness, I’ve come around to the feeling we should give the guy a break.

I agree what he did was wrong and sets a poor example, but I personally am a big fan of the passion Pardew brings to the game. Incidents like this where he gets caught up in the moment have happened before, some have landed him in hot water and others haven’t.

His instinctive victory jig when West Ham scored a play-off semi final goal against Ipswich was an example of someone getting totally lost in the moment. His ill-fated appearance on Match of the Day was an example of his passion causing problems, as he ended up using the worst vocabulary possible to describe a brilliant tackle. Similarly to the shove, this was not out of nastiness or spite, just passion and fuzzy thinking.

He claimed he would have ‘kicked his granny’ to be in the position Newcastle found themselves in with two games remaining last season. Not a great term to use, but you can see where he’s coming from .. sort of.

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And who could forget his famous touchline bust up with Arsene Wenger in 2006, when the Frenchman took exception to his over-the-top celebrations, Pardew responded by squaring up to the Arsenal boss and engaging in a shoving match. ‘Why shouldn’t I celebrate my team scoring?’ was his reasoning, and rightly so.

Pardew has come out and apologised and that should be the end of it. I hope the FA show some common sense and don’t go out to try and make an example of the Newcastle boss. We need Alan Pardew on the touchline to provide us with more comedy gold.

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Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez has claimed that his fall-out with boss Roberto Mancini last season has been good for him.

The Argentina international was guilty of refusing to come off the bench for the Citizens in their Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich, and after a bust-up with the Italian coach went AWOL back in his homeland.

However, the pair have mended their shaky relationship and Tevez returned to the Etihad Stadium to play a part in City’s dramatic last-day clinching of the Premier League title in 2011-12.

The South American has been a first-choice for Mancini this season and Tevez feels that he is focussed on playing football once more.

“For better or worse, the fight with Mancini was good for me. I am enjoying football again, which is what I wanted, to feel this hunger for glory and to be happy,” The Daily Mail report Tevez as saying.

Tevez scored City’s third goal in their most-recent 3-1 win over QPR on Saturday.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Stoke City manager Tony Pulis wants to see the Premier League clamp down on simulation.

Pulis was left disappointed after his side’s 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon but he was more upset by the ‘diving’ of some opposition players. Having criticised referee Michael Oliver for failing to dismiss Chelsea defender David Luiz for a wild, late lunge on Jon Walters, the Stoke boss also praised the match official for not being swayed by alleged playacting from Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic earlier in the game. He told Sky Sports:

“He has done well today, because he has not given Chelsea any penalties. There were three or four incidents that we have watched on the telly and people have just thrown themselves to the ground. That is a bugbear with me. When players do that, they should be highlighted. There are one or two players in the Premiership now who people know will go down very easily.

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We have got to do that (highlight players). Forget what they are doing in Europe, this is England. This is our game and people like that should be highlighted. Ivanovic’s fall – he is a great player – Oscar went over a couple of times, it just puts enormous pressure and I thought Michael did well in not submitting to the pressure of those decisions.”

Charlie Adam has stated that he wants to end his personal feud with Gareth Bale ahead of the World Cup qualifying match-up between Scotland and Wales.

The Stoke midfielder has been guilty of injuring the Tottenham winger on two separate occasions, with the latest a nasty tackle in a pre-match friendly in the United States.

Despite the animosity between the players, Adam is eager to draw a line under what has happened previously.

“Bale is good, quick but I don’t think they are a one-man team,” Adam is quoted as saying in The Guardian.

“They have a number of players, like we have, who can win the game on their day. Aaron Ramsey is a top player, there is Ashley Williams, and Joe Allen at Liverpool. I wouldn’t just single out Gareth Bale. But he is a top player and if we can stop him it will probably enhance our performance and probably our chances of winning the game.”

Adam believes that he will most likely not come into direct contact with Bale however.

“Nope – because he will not be playing on my side. Whoever plays at right-back or left-back will deal with him. What has happened in the past has happened in the past, the most important thing is playing for Scotland and getting a result,” he concluded.

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With the Ivory Coast holding a commanding lead, Senegal’s hopes of reaching the 2013 African Cup of Nations had all but diminished before scenes of violence and rioting sealed their unsavoury exit. However, news of their disqualification would have been music to the ears of the Toon Army, who may now dream of going one better than their excellent fifth-placed finish last season.

Manager Alan Pardew would have allowed himself a wry smile at the prospect of retaining his frontline duo for the notoriously difficult New Year period. Senegal’s omission should be a blessing disguise for the club’s leading goalscorer Demba Ba, who only managed one goal in 15 appearances upon his return from the competition last year. His confidence crisis was disguised by the arrival of compatriot Papiss Cisse, who would bag 13 goals as the Magpies secured their Europa League spot.

However, if Newcastle are to establish themselves as members of the Premier League elite, they must fashion a playing style that suits both strikers. This season has prompted the ‘demise’ of Papiss Cisse, who is yet to find the net in the league although he has scored twice in other competitions. The 4-4-2 formation is almost extinct at the pinnacle of English football, so it is up to Pardew to create an effective rotation policy or redefine the role of one of his prolific front men.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/newcastle-lead-the-chase-for-celtic-ace,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/can-newcastle-united-really-compete-here,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/newcastle-midfielder-yet-to-rediscover-form” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

The Magpies’ success last term was thanks largely to Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew striving to create a sense of stability at the club. The recent announcement of the unprecedented eight-year deals for Pardew and his head scout Tony Carr have helped lay down the foundations for a prosperous future. Tyneside now emits the perception of security and self-assurance, which should act as an appealing aspect for any potential incoming transfers.

The new season has got off to a stuttering start for Pardew and co, who are perhaps suffering as a result of their European excursions. Their recent 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United was a complete contrast to the score line from last season and highlighted the fragile nature of their defence. The intermittent absence of core trio Tim Krul, Steven Taylor and Fabio Coloccini has exposed a real lack of competent rearguard options.

Recent printouts from the transfer rumour mill suggest Pardew has at least seven potential centre-back targets on his January shopping list. And despite a somewhat sedated summer transfer window, Pardew believes he will continue to receive the full support and backing of those above him.

‘“There have been times when Derek (Llambias) has said, it’s out of the budget or it doesn’t work’. But Mike has said ‘Do it’.

“Don’t think that might not happen again.” (Chronicle Live)

Pardew also insists it’s his job to “tease him [Ashley] in on signings” but he may also have to convince the Newcastle owner to block any unwanted departures from the club, especially with stories of a clause in Demba Ba’s contract refusing to go away.

This weekend marks the highly anticipated derby encounter against neighbours Sunderland, with the aforementioned core trio once again available for selection. The return of Taylor, Coloccini and Krul will be a timely boost for the Magpies who share their opponent’s restricted source of goals. It’s common knowledge that only Steven Fletcher (5) has found the net for Sunderland (in the league) this season but did you know only Ba (6) and Hatem Ben Arfa (2) have done so for Newcastle?

If Newcastle are to break into the top four then they need to continue their penchant for unearthing transfer gems. The likes of Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote are fast becoming indispensible members of the squad, although both have failed to reach the same performance levels that they showed last season.

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Until they can bolster their ranks, they must reaffirm the recently re-titled St. James’ Park as a fortress while also rediscovering that elusive formula for away victories. They must also be wary of Everton and West Brom, whose performances this season suggest they are more than capable of matching Newcastle’s tag as the ‘surprise package’ in the Premier League.

If Tottenham and Arsenal get caught up in another battle for fourth place then Newcastle will hope to be perfectly placed in order to take advantage. If they do, their odds of 33/1 might be the most appealing long shot in betting history.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub 

Just when you thought the footballing world was perhaps running out of moral crusades of which to embark on, Newcastle United’s well publicized sponsorship deal with payday loans company Wonga, gave us all a timely bandwagon to jump upon.

Indeed, as the Magpies announced the four-year deal – worth a reported £24million – the footballing world was seemingly overcome with scathing disdain for owner Mike Ashley and his bunch of merry men. But although observers are right to condemn the palpable immorality of Wonga’s interest rates and the wider context of their business model, the current uproar smacks of inconsistency and hypocrisy.

The recent critique of Newcastle’s latest commercial deal, has seemed to spread far and wide throughout the footballing fraternity. Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle City council, called the deal, “disgraceful.” Michael Martin, editor of the True Faith fanzine, described the imminent sponsorship as “tarnishing the club’s name, image and reputation.” A whole raft of blogs, column inches and editorials have come out deriding the club for having the audacity to accept such a tainted source of commercial partnership.

Slamming the Newcastle Wonga deal has appeared almost fashionable, in some circles. And why not? It’s certainly got a lot of the MP’s that have come out and slammed the sponsorship, some good, positive PR. It’s just that when you cast your minds back to the July of 2010, it’s difficult to find such a raft of similar, attributable quotes deriding Wonga’s sponsorship of Blackpool.

Indeed, when Heart of Midlothian agreed to plan Wonga over their shirts in the April of 2011, it wasn’t given anywhere near as much exposure as the NUFC deal. Granted, controversy is never usually too far away from their owner Vladimir Romanov and Hearts aren’t a club anywhere near the size of the men from St. James’ Park. But there are certainly some who appear to be picking and choosing their time to wield arms against footballing morality. This topic isn’t something new and it can’t be used as some political pawn when it suits people.

But this is Newcastle United. Club of the people and guardian of the community. They’ve already voiced their grievances against Mike Ashley’s pesky ‘Cockney Mafia’ and the prospect of getting involved with a bunch of perceived, sneering city types that appear to prosper out of bending over the working classes, probably doesn’t appeal at all.

Yet there is an underliyng hypocrisy from supporters, including Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, who said that he’d “not step foot in the stadium again” while the deal was in place, lampooning their club’s latest sponsorship deal.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/magpies-wonga-deal-set-to-spark-new-controversy,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/pardew-wonga-can-propel-us-into-the-champions-league,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-business/are-these-modern-deals-in-football-ingenious-or-desperate” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

Although fans were more than happy to step out wearing their Northern Rock sponsored shirts for nine years. Of course, Northern Rock were a lot more ethical, being a strong presence in the community and employing hundreds of local people within Newcastle upon Tyne, weren’t they? Not quite. As Julian Knight highlighted in The Independent, there certainly doesn’t seem anything that much more moral in a company that sold folks 125% mortgage deals and helped start the first British banking run in over a hundred years, that we are all still paying out for.

If we take Mr. Lavery’s viewpoint on face value, surely none of us would even be attending any top-flight games in the first place. Let’s not forget, Newcastle United play their games in the Barclays Premier League. A bank that was recently fined £290million for lying about a key banking interest rate that influences the cost of loans and mortgages, allowing them to try and make a profit during a financial crisis in which so many of us have made a loss.

You can take it further than Barclays, as well. If we look at some previous Newcastle United sponsorships, you’d hazard a guess that the damage Newcastle Brown Ale and alcoholism can bestow upon vulnerable people, is hardly in a different universe to Wonga’s interest rates.

Furthermore, online gambling companies sponsor a quarter of Premier League teams. Is the risk of gambling addiction potentially not as much of a hazard to the vulnerable than payday loans? Across the channel in France they seem to think so anyway, with a ban on the advertising of online gambling services in grounds.

No can deny that in the age of austerity and economic downturn that we’ve currently been living in, a company like Wonga has made an awful lot of money out of the misfortune of others. With the country seemingly permanently locked in economic gloom, financial institutions are hardly likely to garner positive PR.

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But in the Wild West world of immorality that is the Premier League, the debacle surrounding Newcastle’s Wonga deal has given it far too much credence than it’s actually worth. There is a phrase that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. It’d be interesting to see how many more hits the Wonga website has had since this whole thing kicked off in the first place.

There’s been too much white knight journalism and hypocritical public figures throwing their right behind the Wonga argument for it to feel like quite the apocalyptic degradation in public standards, that they feel it represents. Wonga isn’t a company that deserves the time of day, but it’s not much more morally contemptible than the other multi million pound companies that are involved in football – or the people that run it, for that matter.

So maybe the next time we read an article lambasting a payday loan company getting exposure on a football shirt, we should think what else threatens the vulnerable person? Should we ignore alcohol companies, gambling companies and unscrupulous international financial institutions that have put us in the hole we’re in at the moment? Or the company that will charge you £266 if you took out £200 tomorrow? If you’re going to embark on a moral crusade, Wonga won’t be far off your list of targets, but there are far bigger fish to fry. Let’s get some perspective.

How do you feel about Wonga’s sponsorship deal with Newcastle United? Morally despicable or a deckchair off the Premier League titanic of immorality? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me how you feel. 

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted that the better team won following his side’s 3-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Swansea.

The Reds boss was facing the club he left in the summer for the first time and would have been hoping for a positive result before kick-off.

The likes of Joe Cole, Stuart Downing and Jamie Carragher were all handed starting spots as Rodgers shuffled his pack following last weekend’s 2-2- draw with Everton.

The Anfield chief’s decision to rest a number of key players came back to haunt him as his former side snatched the victory to eliminate the league cup holders.

However, Rodgers was gracious in defeat:

“I thought the best team won. I thought we were slow in the first half. It took the introduction of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.” He told SkySports after the match.

“Obviously we made a lot of changes but I just felt the tempo and the intensity of our game was way too low.

“It is no surprise, I know Swansea inside out, so I know the brightness and quality they have.”

The Swans took the lead mid way through the first-half, as centre-half Chico headed in his first for the club.

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The Welshmen continued their dominance in the second period and doubled their lead courtesy of a Nathan Dyer tap in after 72 minutes.

Luis Suarez, pulled one back for the hosts after coming off of the bench, but Jonathan de Guzman put the game to bed with a late goal.

‘s Rio Ferdinand has revealed how manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave them a shock when he showed them the Premier League table before their game against Newcastle last month.

United were sixth in the top flight after six games before their 3-0 win at St. James’s Park and were seven points behind leaders Chelsea.

And veteran defender Ferdinand has described how Ferguson’s decision to show them the league table before the game game gave them a much needed wake up call.

He told the Daily Mirror: “Before kick-off, the manager showed us the league table to emphasise that point and it didn’t make pretty reading.

“I don’t really look at the league table until Christmas normally. When we saw it that day, it hit home. We thought, ‘Wow, we need to shake ourselves up.’

“Thankfully, it turned out to be a good day for us.”

And Ferdinand admitted that, despite now being two points clear of rivals Manchester City at the top of the league, United’s faltering start to the season was a lot down to taking their eye off the ball and expecting to win games.

“I think we had got in to a position this season, a bit like we did at the start of last season, where we were just playing open, expansive football and expecting to score three or four goals and no really concentrating as we should on our defending,” he explained.

“This league is unforgiving in that sense. If you’re not on your game in all areas you’ll get punished.

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“But I think the performance against Newcastle signalled a bit of a change in mentality from us and hopefully that’s a taste of things to come for the rest of the season.”

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