Some Newcastle United fans have been sharing a woeful verdict on Steve Bruce’s Magpies by suggesting many would lose their place in the side to the squad of 2012/13.
Our team of that year managed by Alan Pardew was far from the crop of the Premier League having only ended the campaign in 16th place, while also bowing out of the FA Cup and EFL Cup each in the Third Round.
We fared far better in Europe having progressed through to the Quarter-Finals of the Europa League, in what remains the last time we have competed in one of UEFA’s club competitions.
But many supporters are in no doubt that at least a majority of the 2012/13 squad, if not all, would improve our current first-team group, namely the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Demba Cisse.
Cisse featured for more minutes in the Premier League than any other Newcastle player during the 2012/13 campaign, while scoring eight goals and averaging the second-most shots per game with 2.4 (only Demba Ba held a higher average with 4.5 prior to his move to Chelsea), per WhoScored.
Mathieu Debuchy and Cabaye were our leading tacklers that term with an average of 3.1 per game each, to rank higher than Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez (2.5) and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (2.4).
Tiote led the squad for interceptions (2.6 per game), Cabaye for key passes (2.0) and crosses (1.7), Steven Taylor for clearances (8.8) and Moussa Sissoko for through balls (0.4).
Which was the better squad overall?
2012/13
2019/20
Midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is currently our leading scorer in the Premier League with five goals this season, while Allan Saint-Maximin is averaging the most shots per game (1.8), Isaac Hayden the most tackles (2.1), Fabian Schar for interceptions (2.1) and Federico Fernandez for clearances (5.9) of those to have featured more than three times, per WhoScored.
Most would lose their place in the squad for those from the 2012/13 season, though, as only goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has emerged as a player many supporters would keep in the side.
Here are some of the messages shared as fans shared who from the 2012/13 squad would warrant a place in the side of 2019/20…
Collocini, Debuchey, Tiote, Cabaye, Sissoko, Jonas & Cisse….
All seven would walk into the current #Nufc starting 11. Dubravka, Lascelles, ASM & Ritchie.
4-3-3
ASM & Jonas either side of Cisse
Tiote, Cabaye & Sissoko in midfield.
Back 5 picks itself
— Kevin Nichol (@Kevin_Nichol) February 24, 2020
Even Pardew would breeze into our dugout.
— Ali Al-Mufti (@AliAlMufti86) February 24, 2020
All of them
— 👉🏻 Kev 👈🏻 #NUFC ⚫️⚪️ 🟢⚪️ #GGTTH (@Kevwoodh24) February 24, 2020
Apart from the keeper all of them
— OldGeordieexile (@OGeordieexile) February 24, 2020
Almost all apart from Elliot, Taylor and maybe Goufran
— Dan Snowden (@DanSnowden) February 24, 2020
Collocini would be the first name in the team sheet
— Kevin Nichol (@Kevin_Nichol) February 24, 2020
Out of the players who started that game – Debuchy (well definitely the 13/14 version of him), Cabaye, Tiote and Cisse
— Laurence Taylor ️⚽️⚫️⚪️🇬🇧🏴 (@laurence_1999) February 24, 2020
In other Newcastle United news, the club face paying a record fee to sign a prolific 24-year-old this summer.