On May 12, 2013, Newcastle United travelled to Queens Park Rangers needing a victory in order to secure their Premier League future with a game to spare. Despite falling behind to a Loic Remy penalty after just 11 minutes, the Magpies managed to turn the game on its head. Hatem Ben Arfa's spot-kick and Yoan Gouffran's freak goal proved enough to give Alan Pardew's Magpies all three points and ensure they were not relegated during the 2012-13 season. Fast forward precisely two years, and Newcastle once again head to Loftus Road on Saturday needing a victory to all-but guarantee their top-flight future for another season. It seems a bout of déjà vu has infected Tyneside... John Carver's men may have ended their losing run at eight with a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion last weekend, they must do something against already-relegated QPR that they have not managed since February 28th - win a football match. Now all of this begs the question: How does the Newcastle United side of 2014-15 compare to the 2012-13 edition who just about managed to save themselves from relegation? Well here is a comparison between 11 players who began the match two years ago (then) and the likely starting XI at Loftus Road on Saturday (now) - so let's see who comes out on top...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
