Can a Relegated Newcastle XI Really Stack Up Against Today's Tottenham? We Built the Combined Team

Two former Newcastle players have waded into a bold comparison: their doomed 2008/09 relegated outfit was a better side than today's Tottenham Hotspur.

Butt and Nolan, discussing the matter on The Good, The Bad and the Football podcast, weren't shy about their assessment. "When you hear Spurs people saying 'oh we're too big to go down', they're not too big to go down because I believe we were a much better team, man-to-man and as a team, than Spurs are now," Nolan declared. Butt agreed with the verdict.

That Newcastle season was nothing short of catastrophic. The club waved goodbye to their respected manager, brought in a replacement who didn't even know his players' names, flogged their best asset in January, and eventually tumbled down under another local favourite while half the squad made little effort to disguise their desperation for the exit door. It was, in short, a complete shambles.

Yet Nolan reckons there are uncomfortable parallels with what's unfolding at Spurs this season.

When you actually construct a combined XI from both eras—prioritising form over reputation—the numbers tell an intriguing story. Newcastle edge it, but only just.

The XI:

GK: Shay Given (Newcastle)

Given was arguably Newcastle's standout performer that season. His departure to Manchester City in late January is widely viewed as the moment things truly unravelled at St James' Park, though it's worth noting they were already 15th when he left, with just two points separating the bottom six.

RB: Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Spanish fullback has been... serviceable. He's been shunted around various right-sided positions of late, which hasn't helped his cause. He was hauled off against Palace. It came down to him or Habib Beye.

CB: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Romero's carried on in his usual chaotic fashion this season. Micky Van de Ven's deterioration has been far more alarming, so Romero gets the nod on the basis of consistency in his inconsistency.

CB: Sebastien Bassong (Newcastle)

Voted Newcastle's Player of the Season—though cruelly dubbed the club's "tallest dwarf"—Bassong subsequently forced his way out, moving to Spurs in summer 2009 after refusing to travel on the pre-season tour and declaring the club's political situation "a shambles." He wasn't wrong.

LB: Jose Enrique (Newcastle)

Much like Porro's selection, Enrique wins by default over Djed Spence as the marginally less dreadful option. Spence had a decent spell in autumn but hasn't looked like part of the solution. Enrique was solid enough and stayed to help Newcastle climb out of the Championship, earning Player of the Season in the second tier.

CM: Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)

Should Spurs go down, Gray will be one of the few players applauded off the pitch on the final day. The young midfielder has grafted through every role thrown at him and remains one of the few with genuine prospects of a big move.

CM: Nicky Butt (Newcastle)

No Newcastle player featured more than Butt during what should have been his final season before hanging up his boots. But the ex-England midfielder refused to slink away having helped land Newcastle in their predicament. He signed up for another campaign, shared the captaincy with Alan Smith, and lifted the Championship trophy before retirement.

RW: Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Ghana winger boasts Spurs' highest assist tally but has been sidelined since 4 January. Only Richarlison has more goal contributions across the squad. His return—possibly for the Sunderland trip—could prove as transformative as a new manager in the dugout.

LW: Damien Duff (Newcastle)

Probably Newcastle's most reliable outfield player through that dreadful campaign, Duff didn't feature on Nolan's list of players clearly wanting out. He managed just one Championship outing before Fulham paid £4million to bring him back to the Premier League.

CF: Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Brazilian might not be everyone's cup of tea, but he's scored more than double any Spurs teammate's tally—and already more than any Newcastle player in this combined XI. That the Spurs players nearest him for Premier League goals are both centre-backs rather tells you everything about the crisis Roberto De Zerbi's navigating.

CF: Obafemi Martins (Newcastle)

Martins and Michael Owen both notched eight league goals, but the Nigerian actually showed commitment. Owen helicoptered in and out of Tyneside like he'd been dragged away from something far more important. Martins at least said he wanted to stay and help Newcastle climb back. He was sold to Wolfsburg anyway, his final appearance coming in that memorable 6-1 pre-season mauling at Leyton Orient.