This season has reminded me of another team I like. The Philadelphia Eagles (check out our official Eagles site here) have gotten off to quite a rough start. I thought I was crazy comparing these teams. But I love both of them, and both of them promised success in these upcoming season, but instead, have fell flat on those promises, giving up games like it’s Christmas.

The Philadelphia Eagles had many changes in their offseason. Their quarterback, running back, linebackers, and even wide receivers. Lots of changes right? Same with Newcastle United. We signed five new players, four taking starting positions. This being Chancel Mbemba, Georginio Wijnaldum, Florian Thauvin, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. For a soccer team, that’s a lot of changes. And more immediate than many would like.

Immediate changes never really solve problems immediately. Instead, they stall progress. And I’m using Philadelphia’s situation to solidify my point. The big changes to Philadelphia have put the team back, instead of forward. You have a quarterback who may have played well during preseason, but has shown he’s quite clueless on the field. DeMarco Murray may have been the best runner last season, but with a weak offensive line, he’s playing with a team that isn’t tailored to him.

Tailored to him…

Teams are typically built around a player who can make that team thrive. Newcastle United was very focused around Alan Shearer, with players that could be creative around him, and a defense that would allow him to get forward. The clubs failure to succeed in recent times is because of a lack of identity. Where’s their play style? Everyone is playing differently, getting used to different personalities.

The Eagles have Sam Bradford, and because he’s been out most of his career with injuries, we have no idea how great he really is offensively. The Eagles typically play a running game, and Nick Foles was more tailored towards a running offense with deep passes and medium distance passes thrown in. It allowed the team to succeed.

Where is the Eagles identity? Where is Newcastle United’s identity? They’re both lost in translation.