Neil Cameron examines where defeat to Swansea City leaves Wigan Athletic – and Newcastle United
Newcastle United's future is a little clearer today – and a looks a lot less scary.
It is not as frightening as watching the up-to-date Premier League table on the BBC website which for two short spells – although they felt like an ice age – showed Newcastle were third bottom.
There could have been few other games not involving Newcastle over the years which meant so much to the club such as the one between Wigan Athletic and Swansea.
If Alan Pardew was true to his word then he did not watch the action from the DW Stadium because “he had had enough nerves for a week.”
The manager’s nerves would have been shot if he had tuned into this game.
Twice Wigan took the lead and twice Pardew’s side were sent bottom of a mini-league of seven teams fighting to stay in the Premier League – and for all the world looking like favourites to go down. Yet Swansea did Pardew, Newcastle United and their supporters a huge turn by scoring three goals to win a game that, in all honesty, meant little to their own players.
Newcastle fans themselves did not know whether to go for a long walk to avoid going through the agony of watching what was happening through in Lancashire.
Some watched. Others took to the drink. Many did both.
Wigan, who have the joy of a FA Cup fnal on Saturday, were superb going forward and scored two good goals through Roger Espinoza and James McCarthy to lead 2-1 with almost an hour gone.
Thankfully for all in the North East – and that does mean everyone – Wigan’s defending was atrocious and a goal by Swansea’s Dwight Tiendalli won the game for the Welshmen and kept the Magpies fourth from bottom and crucially out of the relegation zone.
It is hardly a boast, I know, but Newcastle will take that with two games to go.
Tiendalli’s scrambled goal is as important as any last-minute winner from Papiss Cisse.
However, let’s forget what has been and concentrate on what needs to be.
Newcastle will believe, with some justification, a win against QPR this Sunday will be enough.
If Aston Villa lose at home to Chelsea on Saturday, then a win at Loftus Road would mean Newcastle are safe for the simple-ish reason Villa and Wigan play each other in the final game.
If that sequence of results happens, then both those club cannot finish above Newcastle.
Got that?
If Wigan lose to Arsenal next midweek at the Emirates, which you would have to say is likely, then they are down so long as Newcastle, Sunderland and Norwich, who are all on 38 points, do not lose this weekend.
So, really, Newcastle would have to really blow it to be relegated.
However, to put this crazy season into some perspective, Fulham on 40 points and in 12th place could still be relegated and finish in the top ten. It is unlikely, but not impossible.
Don’t write off Wigan just yet. They showed last night they will always score goals, but they now need to win their last two games.
It is looking bad for them and good for everyone else.
All the clubs near the bottom has a test of bottle in the penultimate round of fixtures.
Pardew and his players will come up against a QPR team which has won just four times in the league this season and came apart at the seams after week three.
Win and the United supporters are, you would imagine, spared a final day of nail-biting and listening to the radio, while hoping Arsenal, chasing a Champions League place, have an off day.
For once, the stars are lining for the men in black and white.
Wigan played well last night and still contrived to lose.
Their midfielder James McArthur missed a relatively easy chance to make it 3-1, moments before Swansea ran up the field and scored a second on their own.
On such small margins can clubs miss out on the biggest TV deal in football history.
Oh, and Newcastle owe Swansea’s players a debt of gratitude for the way they turned up for a football match which meant little to them.
Now Newcastle’s players need to turn up for a game which means everything. It is surely not a lot to ask.
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