Loic Remy - Not Enough

Words: Andrew Musgrove 

After the last week the news that Loic Remy could eventually become a Newcastle United player in the next few days is one of the few positive things that the Geordie faithful have had to cheer about, even after the signing of Mathieu Debuchy.

Alan Pardew’s men having been on a truly horrid run of recent and thanks to two wins in 13 league games find themselves just two points above the relegation zone and facing a six-pointer against Reading next week who lie 19^th.  Not exactly the best proposal to any potential incoming players is it?

Yet somehow Derek Llmbais has managed to persuade Loic Remy to leave the top of Ligue 1 and the warmth of Marseilles for the depths of the Premier League and the snow of the North East and God knows that Pardew’s squad needed reinforcements. However, Remy isn’t enough – he’s hardly prolific and with him signing it suggests that Pardew is sticking by his guns and will not change from his trusted but so far unsuccessful 4-3-3. 

The fact remains that Newcastle United are exactly where they were two weeks ago at the beginning of the January transfer window - 3 senior strikers – Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi and now or soon to be Remy replacing Ba. If on the 1^st January 2013, Newcastle United needed a striker then what has changed now?

Yet you can bet your bottom dollar a second forward won’t come in despite the fact it is obvious to every man and his dog that it is needed.  People may point to fact that the Magpies have had their ‘bad luck’ with injuries and that is true but anyone that thinks in a months’ time that another injury crisis won’t strike simply because the Toon Army have already had one, are quite frankly naïve.

Infact by the time Reading are driving past the Angel of the North this coming weekend, Newcastle may have lost Cisse and Remy to freak injuries and yes it’s very unlikely but if the summer of 2012 has taught Mike Ashley anything then surely it is gambling is a mugs game.

A centre back still needs to arrive, two should Fabricio Coloccini get his wish to return back to Argentina and then there is the problem of getting Papiss Cisse back into goal scoring form.  Bringing in one striker doesn’t fix these problems in fact it doesn’t even paper over them.

No one knows how Remy will do in the Premier League, he may turn out to an Thierry Henry or he may fail to live up to expectation like Gervinho but Alan Pardew need’s a lot more than his arrival to save his season.