'Compelling proposition': Simon Jordan launches strong defense of Newcastle after turbulent season

This is the second day in a row that we're reporting on TalkSPORT's Simon Jordan being positive about Newcastle United. We're in the Upside Down now.

Newcastle were absolutely woeful against Crystal Palace last night, there's no sugar coating it, it was a horrid display, but the season isn't over yet and despite having such a difficult season, littered with performances like the one last night, Newcastle still have something to play for.

The expectation from a lot of people, mostly outsiders, going into this season would be that Newcastle would build on last year's fourth-place finish and repeat the feat this season and maybe add a cup win on top of it too.

The more realistic of us could see that last season was a fluke. Newcastle were excellent, but other teams were really poor, Liverpool for one. Also this season we'd have the extra pressure of being back in the Champions League, and without a huge squad overhaul, which FFP rendered impossible, the Magpies were always going to struggle due to a lack of squad depth.

Eddie Howe skipped a couple of years of the project by being so good

Newcastle hit the heights of the Champions League about four seasons too soon and simply weren't equipped to deal with it this season. Add to that the freakish injury record we've suffered, the Sandro Tonali palaver and the ridiculous cup draws and we really didn't stand a chance.

Yet, here we are, still within touching distance of qualifying for Europe again. We've done brilliantly all things considered, and Simon Jordan has said as much on TalkSPORT this morning after saying it was silly for Stuart Pearce to back them to win the league.

"I thought it would be a difficult ask for them to achieve, and so it has proved to be. I think if Newcastle finish seventh or eighth in his league, or even sixth, I think they've had a pretty good season. And I think there's still the building blocks in there to give him [Eddie Howe] another spin of the wheel and to see if they can get themselves back into Europe with the brand of football they play.

"They've been disadvantaged by some purchases like Tonali, which was on people like Dan Ashworth which has not necessarily panned out due to issues off the field.

"I think that Newcastle still are a compelling proposition, I think there's still much more right about Newcastle than there is wrong. I think they've stabilised themselves as one of the top sides in the division and now we'll see if they can kick on in the third season. and if they can't kick on in the third or third and a half season that Eddie will have had, then there will be a parting of the ways."

Simon Jordan got it absolutely spot on

Annoyingly, there's not a single part of that speech there that I don't agree with. Jordan has hit the nail on the head.

Eddie Howe was never in danger of being sacked this season. After what he did for this club in his first 18 months, there's no way the board were going to wield the axe after one poor season which was full of things beyond his control.

However, as we've said before, he's used up his good will now, so next season will be the big test, and as Simon Jordan said, if things don't go to plan next season, there could be a change.