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End-of-season report: Newcastle United

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Newcastle United performed during the 2014-15 season.

It would be fair to say that Newcastle United supporters have been through it all this season.

Under Alan Pardew, the Magpies looked to be heading for a comfortable top-half finish, but ultimately the team were left fighting for their lives on the final weekend of the season.

John Carver managed to keep the club in England's top flight, however, and now decisions will need to be made with regards to the management, which is not expected to include Carver.

Here, Sports Mole has taken an in-depth look at what has been an incredible campaign.

August

There was a sense of expectancy when Newcastle welcomed Manchester City to St James' Park in their first league game of the season, but the Premier League champions proved too strong on the day and ultimately claimed a 2-0 win.

The Magpies visited Aston Villa in their second league match of the campaign, but the pair could not be separated in a goalless draw.

Alan Pardew manager of Newcastle United looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Newcastle United at Britannia Stadium on September 29, 2014© Getty Images

One week later, it became three league games without a win as Newcastle conceded in the 95th minute to draw 3-3 with Crystal Palace. That match saw the emergence of a certain Rolando Aarons, however, who has been tipped for the top.

Newcastle also opened their League Cup challenge towards the end of the month with a 1-0 win at Gillingham in the first round.

September

Newcastle's winless run in the league continued as they were thumped 4-0 at Southampton on September 13, before a 2-2 draw at home to Hull City made it five league games without a win for the Magpies.

The League Cup provided a welcome distraction, however, as Newcastle booked their spot in the next round with a 3-2 win at Crystal Palace.

A young Newcastle fan holds up a sign calling for Alan Pardew, manager of Newcastle United, to be sacked during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Newcastle United at Britannia Stadium on September 29, 2014© Getty Images

The bread and butter of the Premier League was proving difficult for the club, however, as a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City left the supporters in disarray.

Remy Cabella, among others, had arrived in the summer window, but the new signings were struggling to make their mark in the opening weeks.

October

Papiss Cisse was finding some form in front of goal, however, and the forward scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Swansea City at the start of the month.

It had been suggested that Pardew would be out of a job if Newcastle lost their next match to Leicester City, but a second-half effort from Gabriel Obertan finally secured the Magpies their first league win of the season.

Next up for Newcastle was a daunting trip to Tottenham Hotspur, but goals from Sammy Ameobi and Ayoze Perez – who was starting to show promise – secured all the points at White Hart Lane.

The joy was not complete for Newcastle, however, as they continued their run in the League Cup with a sensational 2-0 win at Manchester City. Again it was the youngster Aarons that caught the eye at the Etihad.

November

At this stage, calls for Pardew to depart had been dispelled and more wins were to follow. Newcastle started the month with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool, before beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to make it five wins in a row.

Newcastle were not ready to lose their winning run when they faced Queens Park Rangers on November 22, and a late effort from Moussa Sissoko ensured that the club's incredible form continued.

Alan Pardew, manager of Newcastle United gestures during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St James' Park on August 30, 2014© Getty Images

Three straight wins moved the club into the European positions, but the month did end in slight disappointment as they lost 1-0 at West Ham United, who were also in excellent form.

December

December started with a 1-1 draw at Burnley, but Newcastle's result of the season was to follow as they beat Chelsea 2-1 on December 6 - ending the Blues' unbeaten league start to the season in the process.

Newcastle were brought crashing down to earth in their next two games, however, losing 4-1 at Arsenal in the league and 4-0 at Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

Adam Johnson of Sunderland scores the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James' Park on December 21, 2014© Getty Images

Their most disappointing result was to follow, however, as they lost 1-0 at home to fierce rivals Sunderland – a result that did not go down well with the supporters.

Newcastle then travelled to Manchester United on Boxing Day, where they were beaten 3-1 courtesy of a double from Wayne Rooney and a Robin van Persie header.

The Magpies ended the year in a positive fashion, however, with a 3-2 home win over Everton moving the club into the top half of the table.

January

Managerial developments moved quickly at the start of 2015 and it was not long before Pardew had left his role at St James' Park to take up the position at Crystal Palace. As a result, Carver was placed in interim charge of the first team and the Magpies opened the New Year with a 3-3 draw at home to Burnley.

FA Cup disappointment was to follow as the Magpies were dumped out in the third round by Leicester City, but that at least gave the club one pure focus, with the league, as it transpired, becoming a real battle.

Back-to-back league defeats against Chelsea and Southampton followed, while speculation surrounding the managerial position at the club continued to grow. However, on January 26, it was confirmed that Carver would remain in charge of the first team until at least the end of the campaign.

Five days after Carver was appointed, Newcastle ended their winless run with a 3-0 victory over Hull City in the league.

Angry Newcastle boss John Carver on May 9, 2015© Getty Images

February

Newcastle now only had the league to focus on, and the month of February brought four games and just one defeat. Carver's team opened with back-to-back 1-1 draws against Stoke City and Crystal Palace, before taking a 5-0 thumping at the home of Manchester City on February 21.

Cisse continued his decent scoring run at the end of the month with the only goal of the game against Aston Villa, with that result leaving Newcastle 11th in the table and seemingly heading for a comfortable end to the season. Little did the supporters know what was around the corner.

March

March started with a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United, before Everton recorded a 3-0 victory at Goodison Park to make it a poor start to the month for the Magpies.

Yoan Gouffran of Newcastle United and Gerard Deulofeu of Everton battle for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park on March 25, 2014© Getty Images

A run of difficult games continued when they welcomed Arsenal on March 21, and the visitors claimed all three points with a 2-1 victory. It was a disappointing month for the club, but they ended March in 12th position.

Carver's future was the subject of interest, and it was thought that a strong end to the season would give the former assistant a strong chance of securing the job on a permanent basis.

April

If March was poor, April was even worse. The month opened with a 1-0 defeat at great rivals Sunderland, before Liverpool recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory on April 13 to make it five straight league defeats for Carver's team.

There was to be no respite as Tottenham Hotspur took all three points from St James' Park on April 19, before Swansea City secured a 3-2 victory at the end of the month.

Under Pardew, Newcastle were seemingly heading for a top-half finish, but their form in the second half of the season had been so disastrous that they were left fighting the drop ahead of the final month of the campaign.

May

An eighth straight league defeat occurred on May 2 when they lost 3-0 at in-form Leicester City, and that game brought a number of interesting side stories. After the match, Carver suggested that centre-back Mike Williamson had deliberately picked up a red card, with a view to missing the final games of the season.

Mike Williamson of Newcastle United fouls Jamie Vardy of Leicester City leading to his red card during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on May 2, 2015© Getty Images

An open letter from club captain Fabricio Coloccini also followed, while there were stories that Derby County boss Steve McClaren could take charge until the end of the season.

What's more, it was also reported that some Newcastle players had told their families to stay away from St James' Park for the final two home games of the season, which only further bridged the gap between the supporters and the squad.

As it transpired, Newcastle ended their losing run at home to West Bromwich Albion on May 9, with the 1-1 draw at least moving them another point away from the bottom three. Victory at Queens Park Rangers one week later would have secured Newcastle's safety, but they lost 2-1 at the already-relegated R's.

On May 20, Sunderland secured their Premier League survival with a 0-0 draw at Arsenal, leaving Newcastle and Hull to battle for survival on the final weekend of the season.

Before their final game, Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley insisted that the club was not for sale "at any price", before calling on the team to produce on the field.

Goals from Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez saw Newcastle beat West Ham 2-0 in their final game of the season and as a result, keep the Magpies in the top flight. Attention will already be switching to the 2015-16 season, and it does not appear that Carver will keep his job.

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General Views of St James Park before the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Swansea City at St James Park on April 19, 2014
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3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
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8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
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11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
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19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


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