Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and (inset) Simon Jordan
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and (inset) Simon Jordan
Two games remain and Newcastle United smell blood. This weekend, at the Emirates Stadium, await a wounded Arsenal side who will finish this season as the only 'big six' side not to reach a final this year.
There is also a chance the Gunners could miss out on second place - a position that has looked nailed on for Mikel Arteta's side since Liverpool won the title - as the third-placed Magpies end the season in strong fashion. A victory for Newcastle this weekend will see them leapfrog Sunday's opponents ahead of the final game of a brilliant campaign.
That will be the internal goal for Newcastle and Howe, with the Toon boss not willing to settle for crawling over the finish line to a top five finish. TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, however, has taken a predictably dim view of those battling it out behind Liverpool, suggesting second spot doesn't matter.
“I think Arsenal will finish second," he said this week. “I think Newcastle have had a great season and if they finish third that will still be a significant achievement.
"To get a League Cup, to get a Champions League berth would have been a major set of progresses for Newcastle and I think that’s good enough. I mean, who cares? First loser, second loser, does it really make a lot of difference?”
Financially, it does make a difference who earns a runner-ups spot in the top flight this term. Arsenal bagged second spot last time out and collected £53.5m for their troubles. Newcastle, meanwhile, picked up £39.4m when trailing in seventh.
Merit payments of £50.7m, £47.9m and £45.1m were awarded for third, fourth and fifth respectively, meaning it's big financial business to finish as high as possible with two games to play. United finishing second would mean a £14.1m jump on last season's bonus.
Crucially, it is also not in Howe's nature to take his foot off the gas, or allow his players to do the same. The job is not done yet and the entire team behind the scenes on Tyneside will be aware the prospect of matching the club's best-ever Premier League finish is possible between now and the end of the May.
“We still have two games to go and lots of twists and turns that could be around the corner. We can’t sit back and look at it that way," Howe said after Newcastle beat Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
“We have to drive forward, reflect on our next game and make sure we’re ready for Arsenal because that is a very, very tough match. We know how tight it is with the teams around us, so we’re not taking anything for granted.
“I have to say, the players have been magnificent in that respect for a long, long time, but we go again next week.”