26th May

So we're up to 18th place, so who's next?

NEWCASTLE

I'm a big fan of giving managers chances to prove themselves. But it was painfully obvious very early on that Steve McClaren was horribly out of his depth, and unless Newcastle sacked him, they were going to get relegated. However, it took them until 11th March, when they only had ten league games left, to actually sack McClaren, and despite picking up a respectable thirteen points from those games, the net result was still relegation. 

The warning signs were there, right from the off, that it was going to be an extremely tough season for Newcastle, as it took them until mid-October to win a Premier League game, and that was only against a dreadful Norwich side. They went on to lose the next game 3-0 to Sunderland.

Consistency was always Newcastle's problem. Only four wins before Christmas, including astonishing back to back wins against Liverpool and Spurs, left them on just 17 points at the turn of the year, slap bang in the relegation zone. And a lack of consistency proved their undoing, as they only picked up seven more points before McClaren was finally sacked, too late to turn things around. Nevertheless, if Newcastle want to pinpoint the reason that they got relegated, failing twice to beat Aston Villa, the only team in the division to do so, is a great big reason. Four extra points against Villa would have seen them safe, and even if they'd just managed to score against them in May when instead they drew 0-0, they could have put more pressure on Sunderland. 

For Newcastle, this result is an absolute embarrassment. If Villa were a shambles, Newcastle were almost as bad, spending £75m on new players, only to get relegated. No really. £13m on Mitrovic, £14.5m on Wjinaldum, £12m each on Townsend, Shelvey and Thauvin, None of these signings are worth the money that was spent on them except possibly Wjinaldum, varying from promising but overpriced (Townsend) to a downright hilarious waste of money (Thauvin). Newcastle threw money at flair players without fixing the spine of their team, and really, if they were going to spend £75m, they really should have spent more on their leaky defence.

Shipping five to Palace and Chelsea, six to City, three on multiple occasions, including to Bournemouth, Southampton, Sunderland and Leicester, Newcastle conceded a wretched 65 goals, scoring just 44. Unlike Sunderland, despite throwing money at average players, they didn't have a 15/20 goal striker in their team, with Wjinaldum's eleven their top scorer, but crucially, he scored four of those in one game and was extremely inconsistent, with Mitovic always looking as likely to get send off as to score. 

Overall, Newcastle this season were nothing short of a car crash. They looked set to at least challenge for a mid-table finish but a leaky defence, a lack of quality coming forward and a general incompetence at just about every level cost them dearly. What must hurt the most for Newcastle fans is that they clearly have a lot of decent players, and occasionally showed flashes of exactly how good they can be, putting six past Norwich and their last day decimation of Spurs coming to mind. Wjinaldum, Townsend and Mitrovic all had so much potential, but rarely showed up. Nevertheless, their squad is still full of dead wood. Jack Colback is painfully average, Paul Dummett was one of the worst left backs in the league, the likes of Anita, Sissoko and Tiote are all barely Premier League players and Papiss Cisse up front had probably the worst season of his career, scoring just three goals. 

Moving forward? I have absolutely no idea how on earth they managed to secure Rafa on a fresh three year deal, but they played much better under him towards the end of the season and Rafa is one of my favourite managers. If they can shore up their defence and midfield then they can compete at the top level again, but even with the squad they have, I thoroughly expect them to walk the Championship next year. 

Cricket Preview

England go into their second test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street in Durham tomorrow 1-0 up in the three match series, after thrashing their opposition at Headingley, with Jimmy Anderson taking 10-45 as England enforced the follow on and won by comfortably over an innings, despite scoring less than 300. 

The question marks over this England team then, going into this second test, remain thoroughly over the batting. Opener Alex Hales relieved some of the pressure on his shoulders with a solid 86, but with Nick Compton scoring a duck and debutant Vince making just nine, there are still serious question marks over England's upper-middle order, which is really being held together by experienced players Cook and Root. 

The main question in terms of selection going into this game is who will replace the injured Ben Stokes? With the questions being over England's batting, rather than their bowling, you would expect England to go with the more all-round option of Chris Woakes, but I personally hope that young Ball gets a chance to bowl. After all, a team with Moeen Ali at seven and Broad at eight wouldn't be light on batting. Either way, Jonny Bairstow, hailed by his coach after scoring 140 in the first test, will get a chance to bat higher up the order sooner than expected, as he should push up to six, with neither Woakes, nor Ball able to bat that high at international level. 

As for Sri Lanka, their batting is going to come under a serious test. Their openers look thoroughly incapable of dealing with England's bowling, their middle order is paper-thin and their tail is simply non-existent. Only Mendis and Mathews looked capable of producing any sort of batting display, with Mendis the only Sri Lankan to make a half century in his second innings, after getting out to an unplayable ball in the first innings. 

But, you would thoroughly expect England to win this second test as well. The bowlers have shown that they can defend just about any total, and Broad and Anderson will be in the Sri Lankans heads and eager to get stuck into them again. You would expect at least one of the current England batting line up to kick on and make a century in English conditions, as Cook, Root, Hales and Bairstow are all in good form, and if they keep their heads, there are runs to be made. England have to go for the throat now, and show that they can make a big total, since we already know that they can (and could well again) skittle Sri Lanka. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Sturridge injured again. Obviously.
• Murray doing it the hard way. Two five-setters. 
• Bedene 2-1 up. Winner plays Djokovic. 
• And Jules Bianchi's family are suing over his death. Tragedy.