EPL: When Should We Start to Take Newcastle United Seriously?

Newcastle United are currently third in the Premier League.

Yes, you read that correctly. Newcastle, the Magpies of St. James' Park, are higher in the table than Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool after beating Stoke City 3-1. That is not a typo, and I am as astounded as you probably are.

The common response to this shocking turn of events would be to brush it off as a fluke and wait for Newcastle's inevitable implosion. After all, there is no way a team whose leading goal scorer is Demba Ba could possibly challenge the Premier League's big boys, right?

Well, maybe not.

As an Arsenal fan, I am slightly afraid of the Tynesiders' potential. When a team has no pressure on it and no expectations to burden them with responsibility, they can play freely and without inhibition.

And that is exactly what Newcastle are doing now. No one expected them to be in the position they are in now when the season started, and surely no one expects them to continue along this path.

Believe it or not, they do have some advantages beyond their feel-good factor. Yohan Cabaye has proven to be a very good acquisition from Lille, marshaling the midfield and creating chances with aplomb. Demba Ba has received many of those passes and has scored five league goals as a result.

Oh, and have I mentioned that Hatem Ben Arfa has yet to return to the starting 11?

Clearly, Newcastle have many surprise performers and many good things going for them. Even the much-maligned Cheik Tiote has vastly exceeded expectations this year.

But let's not get carried away here. The only teams in the top six that Newcastle have played so far were Arsenal on opening day and Spurs, both at home and they could only manage draws against both.

Keeping up this great run for the next several months will be an entirely different task than stringing together an impressive series of results.

For those skeptics out there, here is an interesting bit of information: from November 19 to December 3, Newcastle will play Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, and the first two of those fixtures are away encounters.

None of this is to say I am a true believer. I don't think the Magpies will qualify for the Champions League or even the Europa League. But, we really should be taking note of such an extended run of success. After all, the teams Newcastle have been playing are of Premier League quality.

Those consecutive fixtures against the league's best will be telling, though. If Newcastle can somehow emerge unscathed from that torturous run, I might just become a believer in miracles.

That is when I believe we should begin to take the unlikely Champions League challengers from Tyneside as serious contenders. They have amazed until now; whether they will continue to do so when faced with the best the country has to offer is another story.

What do you all think; Are you starting to take Newcastle seriously, or, if not, is there a point at which you will side with the Toon Army and believe that the impossible could really happen?

I'm all for miracles, but I can't say I'm convinced as of yet, due to their weak schedule and an insufficient sample size.

But, hey, if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League and the Geordies knock Spurs out of the running, no one will be cheering for the little-team-that-could more than yours truly.

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