Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2013 18:51:53 GMT 1
Following the historical victory over Manure last weekend you wouldn't be far off in suggesting there's a buoyant mood surrounding The Toon these days so the visit of The Saints tomorrow is looking a lot less daunting for supporters than it could have been. That's not to say the opposition should be taken for granted and that three points is a formality at SJP. Yes Southampton have had a poor run of late, however their last home draw against Citeh proves they can still be a tough side to beat and will be no pushovers. That said this is a great opportunity to once again show the rest of the league that on their day The Mags are capable of giving anyone a game, especially when in front of their own fans. On that basis alone I expect a terrific game of football from two very committed sides to take place.
The only downside for The Toon I'm aware of following the win at Old Trafford is that Cabaye will be missing through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card. Clearly Newcastle will miss the influential french play maker as when Cabaye usually ticks, so does the rest of the team. His absence also presents APee with a selection headache. If it was down to me I would play a 4 4 2 system leaving the keeper and back four as is, going with a midfield of Tiote, Anita, Sissoko and Gouffran, with Remy and Shola starting up front leaving HBA to come on later should the game be really tight and an extra bit of magic required to win it. It may surprise one or two of you that I wouldn't start Hatem from the off, but I reckon the players I have mentioned will just work better against The Saints. Mauricio Pochettino has a hard working side who will definitely come and give it a go to win, as they have done in recent seasons so I expect nothing different this time round. Despite that The Toon have held the upper hand in those games as well as coming out eventual winners on the last five occasions, plus if it ain't broken don't try and fix it.
Having hoped for a Toon win away against injury hit Swansea only to end up watching Newcastle struggle and be out played on the night I'm not going to dwell too much on the players missing for Southampton. Simply stating that their manager has a number of selection issues of his own to contend with before this game. That may well see one or two fringe players come into this game that have not been regular starters. Mind you they do have a very good defensive unit and will not be easy to break down. In fact they are one of the meanest sides in the league regarding goals against and also employ a very similar pressing game to The Toon which can make it doubly difficult. It will be interesting to see if that doesn't mean both sides will just cancel each other out. Perhaps that's all the more reason to keep Benny Boy chomping at the bit before releasing him to do his stuff. There's a possibility to open up a six point gap between the sides should The Mags win or should that be a reverse then The Saints will draw level on twenty six points.
Last season's game was a cracker and if tomorrows encounter comes anywhere near to that with the same outcome I'll be a well satisfied Mag.
What do you think?
Lights Oot!
The only downside for The Toon I'm aware of following the win at Old Trafford is that Cabaye will be missing through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card. Clearly Newcastle will miss the influential french play maker as when Cabaye usually ticks, so does the rest of the team. His absence also presents APee with a selection headache. If it was down to me I would play a 4 4 2 system leaving the keeper and back four as is, going with a midfield of Tiote, Anita, Sissoko and Gouffran, with Remy and Shola starting up front leaving HBA to come on later should the game be really tight and an extra bit of magic required to win it. It may surprise one or two of you that I wouldn't start Hatem from the off, but I reckon the players I have mentioned will just work better against The Saints. Mauricio Pochettino has a hard working side who will definitely come and give it a go to win, as they have done in recent seasons so I expect nothing different this time round. Despite that The Toon have held the upper hand in those games as well as coming out eventual winners on the last five occasions, plus if it ain't broken don't try and fix it.
Having hoped for a Toon win away against injury hit Swansea only to end up watching Newcastle struggle and be out played on the night I'm not going to dwell too much on the players missing for Southampton. Simply stating that their manager has a number of selection issues of his own to contend with before this game. That may well see one or two fringe players come into this game that have not been regular starters. Mind you they do have a very good defensive unit and will not be easy to break down. In fact they are one of the meanest sides in the league regarding goals against and also employ a very similar pressing game to The Toon which can make it doubly difficult. It will be interesting to see if that doesn't mean both sides will just cancel each other out. Perhaps that's all the more reason to keep Benny Boy chomping at the bit before releasing him to do his stuff. There's a possibility to open up a six point gap between the sides should The Mags win or should that be a reverse then The Saints will draw level on twenty six points.
Last season's game was a cracker and if tomorrows encounter comes anywhere near to that with the same outcome I'll be a well satisfied Mag.
What do you think?
Lights Oot!
