Newcastle are top of the Sky Bet Championship but just how g

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Newcastle are top of the Sky Bet Championship but just how good are Rafael Benitezs side? Whoscored. Authentic Kevin Labanc Jersey .com dig into the stats ahead of Sundays clash with Leeds United live on Sky Sports... The return of the Championship is bookended by the two biggest matches of the weekend, with the Sky cameras pitching up at the Amex Stadium for Brightons clash with Aston Villa on Friday night before Newcastles clash with Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday.High-flying Brighton are unbeaten in 10 games and host a resurgent Villa side who are yet to lose under new boss Steve Bruce. Its not an easy game, but it represents a chance for Chris Hughtons charges to move level on points with the team to beat at the top of the table. In the summer the bookies priced up Newcastle as the strongest favourites ever to win the Championship, such was the support behind a club that invested heavily in the transfer market and, crucially, kept hold of a manager whose CV is unrivalled at this level.Rafael Benitezs decision to stay on at St. James Park despite last seasons relegation from the Premier League was arguably the biggest factor behind the Magpies early billing as the second tiers best ever side. Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez was the Sky Bet EFL Manager of the Month for October Optimism was dampened after they lost their opening two matches to Fulham and Huddersfield at the start of the campaign, but having acclimatised to their new surroundings and bedded in a large number of summer arrivals, they are once again being touted as overwhelming favourites, despite Brightons close proximity in the table.A look at WhoScored.coms statistical team ratings actually suggests the Seagulls have been the stronger side over the course of the season. Their score of 7.02 is the highest in the league ahead of Newcastles 6.98, though both figures rank highly in relation to previous promoted sides. Leeds vs Newcastle November 20, 2016, 1:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass In fact, the only two teams to have gone up in the last two seasons with a higher rating than either of this seasons top two are Leicester (7.00), in their title-winning 2013/14 campaign, and Bournemouth (7.04), when they won the league the following season. The subsequent success of both of those sides in the top-flight certainly suggests that both Newcastle and Brighton are well-equipped to make the step up.Moreover, if you were to exclude Newcastles ratings from their first two games of the season, the Magpies WhoScored.com rating would be 7.07. Its a figure that will surely rise further if they continue in their current vein of form, demonstrating that few teams in the Championships history can match the current leaders strength.One of the key factors behind the success of Benitezs side thus far has undoubtedly been their effective movements in the summer transfer window. While Dwight Gayle steals the spotlight in that regard, leading the scoring charts in Englands second tier with 11 goals for a rating of 7.34, the impact of a number of less heralded recruits has been just as decisive. Whoscored.coms top rated Newcastle players this season Of their first team regulars this season, four of Newcastles top six rated players are new arrivals.Top of the list is Ciaran Clark (7.42), who few would have expected to become such a key member of the side. Indeed, when Newcastle announced the capture of the defender from touted promotion rivals Aston Villa, it seemed a slightly odd move at the time. Benitez had already signed Grant Hanley to bolster his defensive ranks, had named Jamaal Lascelles as his captain and could also call upon Chancel Mbemba.In fact, Clarks addition was tipped in the local media to provide competition at left-back as much as centre-half, perhaps reading too much into the fact that the Ireland international had made a handful of appearances in that position at Villa. Ciaran Clark has impressed for Newcastle since his arrival from Aston Villa Make no mistake, though, Clark is central defender, and hes proving to be a very good one at this level. He has scored twice and is offering both the most interceptions (2.1) and clearances (8.1) per game for the club, while Newcastles record with the 27-year old at the back is exceptional.Ironically, the only game in 11 that Clark has not been on the winning side this season was a 1-1 draw back at Villa Park, with the Magpies losing three of five without him in the XI. Rafa not thinking of promotion Rafael Benitez insists hes not thinking about promotion yet. Meanwhile, alongside the impressive Jonjo Shelvey in the middle of the park, Isaac Hayden has also played an important role in ensuring Newcastles defence has been much improved. The Magpies were exposed to counter-attacks last season, but Hayden has provided the necessary protection. His average of 2.6 tackles per game is a team high, with 1.9 interceptions bettered only by Clark, helping him to a rating of 7.25.Along with Gayle, Matt Ritchie was the other real marquee signing and while the winger took a little time to adjust, he has also proven an astute acquisition. With two goals and five assists to his name in the league - the latter is a joint high in the Championship - he is beginning to have the sort of effect Benitez would have hoped in the final third. Matt Ritchie has made a strong start to life at St James Park Ritchie, after all, is a player that has excelled in a title-winning campaign, ranking among the top ten players in the second tier as Bournemouth were promoted, with a rating of 7.44 courtesy of superb figures of 15 goals and 17 assists.Its clear then, that while Newcastles enviable firepower in the form of Gayle, Mitrovic and Perez is seen as their greatest asset, Benitez has built a team that warrants its billing as outright favourites.Their credentials will be tested against an improving Leeds side on Sunday in a fixture steeped in top-flight tradition. While both will certainly be aiming to be back in the big time before long, its the Magpies who are flying right now. They are justifying the hype to make an immediate return appear a near certainty. Also See: Newcastle video Newcastle fixtures Newcastle stats Get a ￡10 free bet! Authentic Joe Thornton Jersey . Mauer struck out to end the inning, with a runner on third base in the seventh on Wednesday and the Twins trailing 1-0. Everybody does this, of course, in a sport with a 30 per cent success rate at the plate long proven to be a benchmark of excellence. Authentic Martin Jones Jersey .com) - Stanley Johnson had 18 points and No. http://www.cheapsharksjerseysauthentic.com/ . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. PINEHURST, N.C. -- The road Michelle Wie took to a U.S. Womens Open title was unlike any other, and suddenly insignificant. Whether this was a long time coming was the least of her cares. The biggest star in womens golf had her name on the biggest trophy. She never looked happier. "Oh my God, I cant even think straight," Wie said Sunday after a two-shot victory over Stacy Lewis to claim her first major. The final three holes at Pinehurst No. 2 were filled with ups and downs that Wie knows as well as anyone in golf. She responded with a performance worthy of the hype that had been heaped on her since she was a teenager. With a three-shot lead on the 16th hole, Wie nearly threw it all away with one poor decision, only keeping the lead by making a nervy 5-foot putt for double bogey. And right when it looked as though this would end badly, the 24-year-old from Hawaii responded with the putt of her life that made her a Womens Open champion. Facing a 25-foot birdie putt on 17 that was fast and dangerous, Wie pumped her fist when it fell, then pounded her fist twice to celebrate the moment. "That kind of emotion, that kind of pressure ... Ill think of that putt as one of the best putts Ive ever hit in my life," she said. A par on the 18th gave her an even-par 70 to beat Lewis, the No. 1 player in womens golf who made Wie earn it. Lewis made eight birdies -- the most in a final round by a male for female in the U.S. Open -- and closed with a 66. Sixteen-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 10th place. Lewis was on the range preparing for a playoff when her caddie told her Wie made birdie on the 17th. Moments later, Lewis was on the 18th green to hug Wie. Like most players, she was perplexed why Wie would spend so much time trying to compete against the men when she still didnt have an LPGA Tour card. They are friends now and practice frequently. Lewis said she wasnt the last bit surprised that Wie delivered such a clutch moment. "I think that scene on 18, being on network TV, as many people as we had around there at Pinehurst No. 2 and Michelle Wie winning the golf tournament, I dont think you can script it any better," Lewis said. "I think its great for the game of golf. I think its even better for womens golf. Im so happy for Michelle Wie. I mean this has been such a long time coming for her." Wie had chance to win this title when she was a 15-year-old amateur at Cherry Hills, and a 16-year-old pro at Newport. The last time she was in this area, she opened with an 82 at Pine Needles in 2007 and walked off the course the next day because of injuries. She had been one of the biggest stars in womens golf since she was 13 and played in the final grooup of a major. Authentic Joonas Donskoi Jersey. Her popularity soared along with criticism when she competed against the men on the PGA Tour while still in high school and talked about wanting to play in the Masters. That seems like a lifetime ago. The 6-foot Wie is all grown up. She is a Stanford graduate, popular among pros of both genders, and now a major champion. "I cant believe this is happening," Wie said. It almost didnt. Just like her so much of her life, the path included a sharp twist no one saw coming. Wie started the final round tied with Amy Yang, took the lead when Yang made double bogey on No. 2 and didnt let anyone catch her the rest of the day. In trouble on the tough fourth hole, she got up-and-down from 135 yards with an 8-iron into 3 feet. Right when Lewis was making a big run, Wie answered by ripping a drive on the shortened par-5 10th and hitting a cut 8-iron into 10 feet for eagle and a four-shot lead. She had not made a bogey since the first hole -- and then it all nearly unravelled. From a fairway bunker on the 16th, holding a three-shot lead, she stayed aggressive and hit hybrid from the sand. "I was kind of a dummy for not laying up when I was in that situation," she said. "And it kind of bit me in the butt. But I laughed it off. Stuff like that does happen." The only time panic began to set in was when no one could find her ball. It finally was located after a three-minute search, buried in a wiregrass bush. She quickly and wisely took a penalty drop behind her in the fairway to limit the damage, chipped to about 35 feet and ran that putt some 5 feet by the hole. Miss it and she would be tied. Bent over in that table-top putting stance, she poured it in to avoid her first three-putt of the week. Smiling as she left the green, she hit 8-iron to 25 feet and delivered a putt that will surely rank among the highlights in U.S. Womens Open history. Wie finished at 2-under 278, the only player to beat par in the second week of championship golf at Pinehurst. Martin Kaymer won by eight shots last week at 9-under 271, the second-lowest score in U.S. Open history. Juli Inkster, playing her 35th and final U.S. Womens Open, closed with a 75 to tie for 15th. She received the loudest ovation of the week walking up the 18th, until Wie arrived as the winner. What a journey. "I think that without your downs, without the hardship, I dont think you appreciate the ups and much as you do," Wie said, the gleaming trophy at her side. "I think the fact that I struggled so much, the fact that I kind of went through a hard period of my life, the fact that this trophy is right next to me, it means so much more to me than it ever would have when I was 15. "I feel extremely lucky." cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '