Well I decided to see what the betting companies were saying about Newcastle's chances for a top 4 finish. I mean, why not? In order to accomplish this task, I used this site to check the odds that various companies had listed. After the jump we will see a table that lists what they are thinking about our prospects.

Note: I don't bet on sports and this post has no intention of encouraging its readers to bet. This post is solely cataloguing what the betting companies are setting the odds of a top 4 finish for Newcastle. Also, please go get help you you have a gambling addiction. It's rather unlikely that this note will convince you to seek help, but I feel like it should be said.

Here is the table. The first column lists all of the sites. The second column shows the odds that that company gave Newcastle of finishing in the top 4, with a lower number meaning that Newcastle are more likely to finish in the top 4. The number listed is NOT a percentage value. The third column is shows Newcastle's odds relative to the other teams in the league. This means that if the company gave better odds of finishing in the top 4 to X number of teams, then Newcastle's projected place would be X+1.

Every single company put Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, and Liverpool (who?) ahead of us. It's a little annoying that Newcastle is ranked behind teams that they finished ahead of last season, but it just shows that we still have to prove ourselves. And let's face it, we would have been excited last season if even one company put us in the top 10, much less the top 7.

Oh yeah almost forgot that I put a poll in. So go ahead and vote, if you want.