Stoke v Newcastle - Match Preview
As Football 365 wrote in the weekly “winners and losers” column: Newcastle’s best weekends usually happen when they’re not playing. No more was this the case than this one – where Norwich, Sunderland, and Swansea all lost – while Bournemouth took a point. It’s time to recognize this fortune, and do something about it.
Much was made about the travails during the 18 day break, with expert pundits all weighing in on the merits or moral justifications of a week spent training in La Manga. Paul Merson and Phil Thompson, part of the growing “shout your bland opinions” school of journalism were up in arms – lambasting Newcastle for having the temerity to go abroad after a slew of dreadful performances.
But really, who cares? The outrage of these clowns has nothing to do with concern that Newcastle fans are being “disrespected” or “let down” by their club. If mainstream pundits really cared about understanding the fans concerns, they wouldn’t offer lazy and generic analyses of clubs that are either not in London or aren’t perceived to be members of the elite. The truth, really, is that most pundits don’t like Newcastle because they are still perceived to have “big club status” (and therefore, big club syndrome), which irks your Mersons and your Ian Wrights because, in their minds, Newcastle don’t belong to the London or the big club group. What Sky Sports and the BBC really want to do is laugh at, and irritate Newcastle fans – under the pretence of “telling it like it is”.
Why else, would Paul Merson say that Aston Villa are a bigger club than Newcastle? He wants to take Toon fans down an imaginary peg. It’s imaginary, because no self-respecting Newcastle fan sees their club as “big” anymore. Their only expectation is that the players show up once in a while and the board show some ambition. But, that gets lost on the pundits because they aren’t truly interested in an in depth analysis of Newcastle. Instead, they perfect the art of the wind-up merchant disguised as controversial or hard-hitting journalism. Ian Wright is another example. His criticism of the “Sack Pardew” brigade is rooted in his wildly inaccurate perception that Newcastle fans expect too much. An ounce of genuine interest in Newcastle would right that assumption. But these people have no genuine interest in Newcastle.
Onto the game, and it’s a huge one. Lots of people have written Newcastle off, perhaps understandably given their away from. The assumption is that Newcastle will win most of their home games, and that will ensure their survival. But, there is a huge three points on offer here. Stoke have been very good this season, but have had their share of strange results. It might look like mindless optimism, but one has to think that an away win will come eventually. We are due one, surely? The question is, can it come here?
Team News:
Honestly, I have no idea! Newcastle will likely welcome back a host of injuries: including Jack Colback, Fabricio Coloccini, Siem de Jong, and Paul Dummett. We still await confirmation on the status of Chancel Mbemba. Either way, the squad should be a lot stronger than it was against Chelsea.
Keys to the game:
Newcastle have to score first. As has been the case for the last three or four years – Newcastle have the resilience of a doormat when they concede the first goal. So, they need to find a way to keep messrs Afellay, Shaqiri, and Arnautovic quiet. Unlike the Pardew days, I don’t think, under McClaren, Newcastle are capable of sitting back and absorbing pressure.
McClaren doesn’t appear to have the organizing nous, and Newcastle do not have a strong enough defence. This probably explains Newcastle’s dreadfulness away from home – where they try to sit in but almost always fail. Newcastle have to find a way to play as if they are at home. Attack Stoke, and try to score first.
