Newcastle United

In 2020 the world of football has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 and the restrictions governments have in place. Within this blog post we are going to look into how the Premier League teams, players and fans have been impacted by the restrictions in place. And will also investigate how these changes have impacted the performance of the squads by comparing their season-to-season stats.

Changes to Scheduling and Spectators

The Premier League has seen two seasons in total impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions which lead to an alteration in scheduling as well as spectators. In this section of the article, we are going to look into how these two important elements of the football season have been adjusted accordingly.

In March 2020 England went into a full lockdown which saw a stay-at-home order in place. This was constantly extended

Buying presents during the festive season is possibly one of the most stressful activities. So to help take the pressure off we have put together this list of products which would be an excellent choice for Newcastle United supporters. From authentic replica sportswear to accessories and homewares, you are guaranteed to find the best gift here for a fantastic price! All of the items mentioned below are available from within the respective categories on our online webstore – Soccer Box. So have a look through our categories and get shopping today:

1. Authentic NUFC Kits and Training Wear
2. Magpie Accessories Less Than £15
3. Newcastle Homeware Essentials Below £25

Authentic NUFC Kits and Training Wear

For spectators, the reference of VAR by the commentators is a very new part of football terminology. And after the increased use during the World Cup 2018, we wanted to create an article investigating further into what VAR actually is.

Believed to greatly improve the accuracy of referee opinions, below we will take a look into how this form of video recall is beneficial. And to review this fully, we will also discuss instances where the intervention of VAR was inconclusive or faulted.

About VAR

VAR stands for Video Assistant Referees, and its main purpose is to ensure that all decisions regarding the treatment of incidents are kept fair and accurate for both sides. As the on-pitch referees often could miss a significant occurrence of an infringement of rules, or even favour one squad over another, this type of reassurance from a team of referees improves the accuracy of ref decisions.

The four main incidents where this type of recall would be needed are:

Another season ends which can only mean one thing: awards. With each year that passes by, the gap between the top six and the rest of the division looks to be widening in quality and financial resources.

However, as Burnley and especially Leicester have shown in the past few years, there is a chance to rival some of the bigger teams in the country. 

The rest of the Premier League might not get as much attention, so here are the awards for the teams outside the top six: 

Manager of the Year: Rafa Benitez

There are several candidates for this award, but Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez deserves the plaudits purely because of what he was given at the beginning of the season.

While Brighton’s Chris Hughton and Huddersfield’s David Wagner, too, defied the odds of avoiding relegation, they, at least, had some sort of money to spend in the transfer window. 

It is no secret that the Spanish manager has come to blows with owner

1st May 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
There has been a breakout star in French football this season, making waves with Nice. An exciting winger capable of dribbling past several opponents in a single move, and with a wand of a left foot able to bend the ball into the top corner from almost any angle.

This exciting new star is not some teenage sensation. He is not a newcomer to Ligue 1, imbued with the confident swagger of youth. He is 29-year-old former Newcastle United player Hatem Ben Arfa.

Ben Arfa has been in outstanding form this season. His 17 league goals from 31 games has elevated Nice to fourth position in Ligue 1, just two points behind second-placed Lyon and genuine contenders for Champions League qualification.

The former Olympique Lyonnais player has regularly produced individual trickery and showboating skills that have been shared around the world in the form of GIFs on twitter or YouTube highlight videos. But in addition to the eye-catching flair moves,

26th March 2016
For the second season in a row, Newcastle United are staring down the barrel of a gun. As the weeks remaining in the Premier League campaign dwindle, the Magpies' chances of escaping relegation are looking ever slimmer. Can Newcastle repeat their narrative from last season and leap out of the lower echelons of the table at the exact right moment? Or will the Magpies end up playing in the Football League Championship for the first time since 2010?

A New Manager

Needless to say, Newcastle United officials are hoping for the former outcome. On March 11^th, they even sacked their manager, sending Steve McClaren packing after just nine months in charge. He was rapidly replaced by Rafael Benitez, the only coach in history to have won titles in the UEFA Cup (Europa League), the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Yet, despite the impressive pedigree that

The January transfer window is never as eventful as the summer gap. Fewer teams dip into the market to flesh out their ranks or spend big on new stars, and fewer clubs are willing to let go of big stars. In other words, you're never going to see a Cristiano Ronaldo transfer in January, or any transfer fees that land in the top 10 or 20 of all time. Still, this year's January window was bigger than it has been in the past, with Premier League spending topping £1 billion for the first time ever. Read on to find out which clubs made the biggest signings of the month.

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Pep Guardiola: Sure, he's not a player, but the deadline day announcement that Pep Guardiola is indeed on his way to Manchester City handily overshadowed everything that was going on in the

The 2015/16 football campaign is barely half done at this point, and the English Premier League has already been a bloodbath in terms of management shakeups. Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers; Aston Villa fired Tim Sherwood; Sunderland dismissed Dick Advocaat; Meanwhile, other managers like Louis van Gaal (Manchester United) and Steve McClaren (Newcastle United) could very well not last until the end of the season in their current positions.

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A New Sacking Record

The Premier League's turnover rate has been modest compared to that of the Championship, too. Indeed, England's second professional football tier has sacked a combined total of 10 managers so far this season. In fact, according to the LMA

Most of the Premier League's top football clubs sailed through the third round of the 2015/16 FA Cup easily over the weekend, with Manchester City, Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea, West Ham United, and others all cruising through to the fourth round of the Football Association tournament. Read on for a recap of the winners and losers of the weekend!

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The Winners

As usual, the Premier League's soccer teams got a bye into the third round, which means this is the first time in the 2015/16 FA Cup that we are seeing teams such as Man United, Arsenal, and others. Since so many of the league's top clubs were upset and eliminated in the fourth round of last year's FA Cup-including Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea-most of the Premier