6. A Laughably-Long Injury List That Never Seems To Get Any Shorter
Newcastle still have seven players registered as injured - Adam Armstrong (hip injury), Siem de Jong (thigh injury), Rob Elliot (thigh strain), Jak Alnwick (thumb injury), Massadio Haidara (knee injury), Cheick Tiote (knee injury) and Steven Taylor (calf injury). Just a couple of weeks ago, however, they occupied top spot in the Premier League injury table (they are now joint-second) with 10 fitness problems - and they have been near the summit for the entire season. Week after week Newcastle pick up injury upon injury - usually soft tissue, too - and that means they can't ever put out their best XI. That's another reason they've slipped down the Premier League table at a rapid pace.