It was a 12 months that started in controversy, and ended with a run of only one win in eight games, with loads more thrown into the middle of the Mike Ashley mayhem.
Certainly, at the turn of the year many fans wouldn’t have expected Alan Pardew to still be in charge, let alone in charge of a team lying seventh in the Premier League.
Feelings were still running high in the wake of Chris Hughton’s dismissal in January, and they were higher still at the end of the month after Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool and, crucially, not replaced.
Carroll still hasn’t been replaced, and there are fears of another high-profile departure from what’s now known as the Sports Direct Arena – that’s another story in itself – this month.
Newcastle, as they were all those years ago when Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne left, are a selling club.
Every player has his price, and being honest, many fans didn’t argue against the decision to bank £35m for Carroll.
Owner Mike Ashley buys low and sells high, but doesn't always put the dosh back into the playing side.
High-earners Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique have all left the club in a turbulent year, yet the team’s still held its own ... even prospered at times.
Hotshot Demba Ba, without question, is looking the signing of the year, having joined on a free from relegated West Ham United.
Yohan Cabaye’s already looking a steal, while we still haven't seen enough of Davide Santon to decide if he is a good signing or not.
Gabriel Obertan and James Perch have yet to win over the fans, and how long it will take, is anyone's guess.
The question is whether there’s an appetite at boardroom level to do more than just tread water, and actually break into the top six. To do that, Pardew needs two or three more players, at least, yet there could be one or two leaving (if Ashley has his way).
Therein lies the frustration. United are so near, yet seemingly so far.
Supporters long for the return of European nights to St James’s Park, but speculating to accumulate isn’t something Ashley’s prepared to do.
He’s got a blueprint for midtable survival, and he’s going to stick to it so long as he owns the club.
Pardew believes in a brand of football close to the hearts of the club’s faithful, and his players are committed to the cause ... but Llambias and Ashley have "£" signs in their eyes.#
They are not TRUE football fans ... never ever have been.
The absence of Ba and Cheik Tiote this month for the African Cup of Nations will be a body blow to Pardew.
Ba has been a revelation up front, and few would swap him for Carroll, who has found goals hard to come by at Anfield.
It may seem a year of progress at St James’s Park, but the light-weight squad could hit us badly.
The team’s on course to better last season’s 12th-placed finish, and while anti-Ashley sentiment remains, it’s been tempered by admiration for the job done by Pardew and his players.
St James’s Park is again full, and that is the gage in which Ashley works his business.
However, every transfer window brings an unease with it, such is the potential to lose as well as gain.
United supporters have come to expect the unexpected, and this year was no different.
The next 12 months are likely to be similarly unpredictable.
PREMIERSHIP HOLIDAY PROGRAMME Sunday 01st January 2012 West Bromwich Albion v Everton 12:30 Sunderland v Manchester City 15:00 Monday 02nd January 2012 Aston Villa v Swansea City 15:00 Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City 15:00 Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City 15:00 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea 15:00 Fulham v Arsenal 17:30 Tuesday 03rd January 2012 Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion 19:45 Wigan Athletic v Sunderland 19:45 Manchester City v Liverpool 20:00 Wednesday 04th January 2012 Everton v Bolton Wanderers 20:00 Newcastle United v Manchester United 20:00 NEWCASTLE UNITED 20011/12 PREMIER LEAGUELIVERPOOL 3 NEWCASTLE 1 (Agger og)Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor (Santon 46), Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 84), Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Vuckic (Ben Arfa 65), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Perch, Best, Shola Ameobi.
BOLTON 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ben Arfa, Ba)Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Shola Ameobi 84), Cabaye (Perch 88), Tiote, Gutierrez, Ba, Best (Ben Arfa 61).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Vuckic, Ferguson.
NEWCASTLE 2 WEST BROM 3 (Ba 2)Krul, Simpson, Perch, Coloccini, Santon (Ryan Taylor 46), Obertan (Shola Ameobi 72), Vuckic, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Ben Arfa 61), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Williamson, Abeid, Sammy Ameobi.
NEWCASTLE 0 SWANSEA CITY 0Krul, Simpson, Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 82), Cabaye, Tiote (Vuckic 82), Gutierrez, Best (Shola Ameobi 71), Ba.Subs Not Used: Harper, Williamson, Ben Arfa, Abeid.
NORWICH 4 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ba 2)Krul, Santon (Ferguson 90), Simpson, Perch, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 80), Cabaye, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi (Smith 90).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Ben Arfa, Lovenkrands, Best.
NEWCASTLE 0 CHELSEA 3Krul, Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini (Perch 27), R Taylor, Lovenkrands (Sammy Ameobi 71), Guthrie, Cabaye, Obertan, Ben Arfa (Shola Ameobi 46), Ba.Subs Not Used: Harper, Santon, Gosling, Best.
MAN UTD 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Ba pen)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 65), Cabaye, Guthrie (Perch 74), Gutierrez, Ben Arfa (Lovenkrands 80), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Gosling, Shola Ameobi.
MAN CITY 3 NEWCASTLE 1 (Gosling)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Ben Arfa (Lovenkrands 76), Guthrie, Cabaye (Perch 85), Gutierrez, Ba, Sammy Ameobi (Gosling 79).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Smith, Shola Ameobi.
NEWCASTLE 2 EVERTON 1 (Heitinga og, R Taylor)Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Marveaux (Sammy Ameobi 54), Cabaye (Gosling 37), Guthrie, Gutierrez, Best (Ben Arfa 73), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Lovenkrands, Perch.
STOKE 1 NEWCASTLE 3 (Barr 3)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Guthrie (Gosling 90), Cabaye (Perch 78), Gutierrez, Best (Sammy Ameobi 86), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Ben Arfa, Marveaux.
NEWCASTLE 1 WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 (Cabaye)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Marveaux 76), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Ben Arfa 46), Ba (Shola Ameobi 68).Subs Not Used: Harper, Santon, Perch, Smith.
NEWCASTLE 2 SPURS 2 (Ba, Ameobi)Krul, Simpson (Santon 77), Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Shola Ameobi 71), Ba (Ben Arfa 71).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Lovenkrands, Gosling, Marveaux.WOLVES 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ba, Gutierrez)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Marveaux 90), Cabaye (Guthrie 89), Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba (Lovenkrands 71).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi.NEWCASTLE 3 BLACKBURN 1 (Ba 3)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Marveaux 84), Ba (Ben Arfa 74), Best.Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch, Sammy Ameobi.ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Best)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Sammy Ameobi 85), Best (Shola Ameobi 69), Ba (Marveaux 80).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch.QPR 0 NEWCASTLE 0Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 88), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Marveaux 82), Shola Ameobi (Ba 64).Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands.NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 1 (Best 2)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Lovenkrands (Ba 62), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Obertan, Best (Vuckic 78), Vuckic (Smith 85).Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson.SUNDERLAND 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 1 (R Taylor)Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Tiote, Cabaye (Williamson 85), Barton, Obertan (Gosling 85), Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi.Subs Not Used: Harper, Lovenkrands, Ba, Best, Marveaux.NEWCASTLE 0 ARSENAL 0Krul, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Simpson, Barton, Cabaye (Lovenkrands 81), Tiote, Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi (Best 73), Ba (Obertan 46).Subs Not Used: Forster, Williamson, Gosling, Sammy Ameobi.CARLING CUPBLACKBURN 4 NEWCASTLE 3 (AET) Guthrie, Cabaye, Lovenkrands (pen)Krul, Simpson (Sammy Ameobi 70), Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Marveaux (Obertan 77), Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ben Arfa (Lovenkrands 79), Ba.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Abeid, Gosling, Ranger.
NOTTINGHAM FOR. 3 NEWCASTLE 4 (AET) Lovenkrands 2, Simpson, ColocciniElliot, Simpson, Coloccini, Perch, Ferguson, Abeid, Guthrie, Gosling (Shola Ameobi 70), Marveaux, Ben Arfa (Sammy Ameobi 70), Lovenkrands (Obertan 80).Subs Not Used: Krul, Best, Dummett, Henderson.SCUNTHORPE 1 NEWCASTLE 2 AET (R Taylor, Sammy Ameobi)Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson (Steven Taylor 45), Ryan Taylor, Marveaux, Gosling (Vuckic 70), Cabaye, Lovenkrands, Best, Ba (Sammy Ameobi 65).Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Abeid, Smith, Ferguson.PRE-SEASON FIXTURESNEWCASTLE 0 FIORENTINA 0 (Ab 63 mins)Krul (Forster 46), Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique, Gosling (Ba 46), Cabaye, Vuckic, Jonas (Marveaux 46) Lovenkrands (R Taylor 61), Best (Shola Ameobi 46).Subs: Sammy Ameobi, Ranger, Tavernier, Williamson.LEEDS UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (S.Taylor, Vuckic)Forster, Cabaye, Williamson, Barton, Simpson, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi, Taylor, Tavernier. Subs: Krul, Taylor, Best, Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett.COLUMBUS CREW 0 NEWCASTLE 3 (Ameobi, Coloccini, Vuckic)Harper; Tavernier, S Taylor, Coloccini (Dummett, 54), Enrique; Gutierrez (Abeid, 85), Tiote (Smith, 62), Gosling, Marveaux (Vuckic, 76); Ameobi (Best, 75), Ba. Subs not used: Forster, Krul.ORLANDO CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 0Forster; R Taylor (Enrique, 26), S Taylor, Coloccini, Tavernier; Gosling (Vuckic, 71), Smith (Abeid, 74), Tiote, Gutierrez; Best (Ba, 74), Lovenkrands (Ameobi, 74). Subs not used: Krul, Harper.SPORTING KANSAS 0 NEWCASTLE 0Krul, Gosling, Coloccini, S Taylor, R Taylor, Marveaux (Tavernier 46), Tiote (Abeid 46), Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Ba (Best 72), Lovenkrands (Smith 46).DARLINGTON 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Barton, Sammy Ameobi)Forster; Simpson (Dummett), S Taylor (Tavernier), Williamson (Henderson), Ferguson (R Taylor); Barton (Abeid), Guthrie (Cabaye, Donaldson), Smith (Gosling), Vuckic (Sammy Ameobi); Ben Arfa (Richardson), Best (Ranger). Subs not used: Soderberg, Newton.
Source: FOOTYMAD
