One of the major problems for Newcastle last season came in the attacking department where they struggled to score goals on a consistent basis. Back when the likes of Demba Ba and Cisse were on song, the club scored goals for fun. There was also a shadow of doubt surrounding the club after they had failed to make a single permanent signing in the last 18 months. This has finally been addressed in the last few weeks of the transfer window. Newcastle have been one of the active clubs in the transfer window so far by bringing in the likes of Emmanuel Riviere.
After managing to score four goals in the friendly match against Sydney, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has confidently stated that goalscoring troubles for the club are finally behind them. Midway through last season, there was a possibility of Newcastle returning to European football. However, the hopes melted away in the second half of the season after a disastrous run of form that saw them suffer several defeats towards the end. Riviere is likely to be a key player for Newcastle going into the new campaign especially given that Cisse is yet to return from injury.
Newcastle lost in the opening pre-season match against Oldham last week. They seem to have won the race to keep Fabricio Coloccini, who came close to leaving the club last summer.
“We’ve signed a number of new players. We’re fortunate to have Siem on this trip – and Emmanuel. That’s helpful because in the striking department we were beginning to look like we were getting really needy towards the end of last year. We’ve addressed that. Hopefully, out here we can get a better balance between defending and attacking. We’re known for attacking football, but at the back end of last year, you wouldn’t have thought that had you watched us play,” said Pardew.