After a turbulent season which has included the shock sacking of popular manager Chris Hughton and sale of star striker Andy Carroll, Newcastle finally seem to be giving their fans something to smile about. Since their remarkable comeback in the 4-4 draw with Arsenal, the Magpies have kept consecutive clean sheets in an impressive 2-0 away victory at Birmingham and a spirited goalless draw at Ewood Park.
After their heroics on the road, Alan Pardew’s men return to St. James Park for a run of three fixtures on home soil in their next four (BOL, EVE, stk, WOL). These games will surely be targeted as crucial matches which could cement their place in the Premier League next season; they are all certainly winnable.
This key combination of good form and attractive fixtures, in addition to the fact that Newcastle players generally boast low-to-mid valuations, screams potential for Fantasy Managers. And, if you’re looking for the form guy within Alan Pardew’s squad, you need look no further than Joey Barton.
In his last four gameweeks Barton has laid on more goal opportunities, had more shots on goal and enjoyed more touches of the ball than any other player in the Newcastle midfield. Our Members can see the stats behind Barton’s recent form for themselves in the Members’ Area – they make compelling evidence in Barton’s favour.
Another appealing aspect of investment in Barton is his involvement at set-plays. Again, over the last four gameweeks, Barton has contributed the most corners in the league; he is also the principal direct/indirect free-kick and spot-kick taker at the club.
Priced at 5.0 on the FPL game, Barton is a steal and would line-up nicely alongside some of the more lavish midfield offerings, and provide a ready-made replacement for those shedding Blackpool’s Charlie Adam in the light of his suspension. For a low price option, Barton has accumulated a notable return of 101 FPL points this season. This includes 17 bonus points, 4 goals and 6 assists.
Fellow Newcastle midfielders Kevin Nolan and Jonas Gutiérrez are also worth monitoring over Newcastle’s obliging run of opponents – they could easily rival Barton for FPL returns. Nolan has been Newcastle’s top points scoring midfielder, fetching 101 points thus far, having found the back of the net on 10 occasions. Like Barton, Gutiérrez has also been in strong form and his recent supply from out wide has been nothing short of superb. Again, our Members need only check out his Distribution stats, and in particular his “Successful Crosses” over recent gameweeks, to assess his current form.
Bolton could well provide a stubborn opponent for the Magpies this weekend having kept five clean sheets in their last six matches, but even beyond gameweek 28, it’s clear that there is great potential in Alan Pardew’s midfield, with Barton arguably the leading contender.
