Southampton Vs Newcastle United |
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Date:
Saturday 19th September 2004
Kick Off: 2.00pm BST
Venue: St. Mary's
Ref: Chris Foy
Comp: Premiership |
| Match Preview
In Association With Toon
Ale |
|
By
Craig Hope
Sunday will present Graeme Souness with his first real selection dilemma. The
omission of Shearer and Bellamy against Hapoel Bnei Saknin was for
the purpose of rest. Now, having rested, they must be expected to
return to face The Saints. However, how can you drop a player who
comes in and scores two goals and in reality was our only bright spark
on an otherwise dull evening at SJP. Shoala Ameobi on the other hand
made Souness' team selection for Sunday rather easier and will no
doubt start on the bench following a lacklustre display. It will be
interesting to see how Souness handles his substitutions – against
Sakhnin they left a lot to be desired. Kluivert is our top goalscorer
with three thus far and has certainly linked play well in the two
games he has started – a tough decision awaits our new boss.
Southampton are a poor side on evidence of their season to date, their
main dangers being that of ex-mackem Kevin Phillips and summer Toon
target James Beattie. Souness has already been to St.Mary's this season
and has two goals but no points to show from it.
This Sunday could see a repeat of last season where it was evident
that both teams were far more comfortable in attack and decidedly
less assured in defence. If you thought at the end of last season
when Bramble and Caldwell lined up to face Southampton that next season
we would return with a central pairing of possibly Woodgate plus one
summer acquisition you would not have been alone. Instead it looks
for certain that O'Brien will partner Elliott once more at the heart
of our defence. Progress?
A win on the South Coast is vital (something we have incidentally
failed to do in our last 18 league visits). It is vital in that it
will represent a new start – a new start that is so badly needed. It
would also bury the Southampton hoodoo as well as lay to rest the
ever growing winless away form we have been made to endure that stretches
back nearly a year.
Likely Lineup:
Given |
Carr |
O'Brien |
Elliott |
Bernard |
Jenas |
Butt |
Bowyer |
Robert |
| |
Shearer |
Bellamy |
|
For Them: James Beattie
(ST)
Many expected the Lancashire born forward to move to SJP during the
summer before Kluivert arrived. He is a dangerous striker who will
no doubt score goals, but with those who think he is capable of filling
Shearer's boots I can only disagree. I believe Beattie would have
failed to make that step up to the next level (as has proved on his
England appearances to date) and in Kluivert we have acquired a striker
of substantially more class and ability. He remains a threat however
and on Sunday could be relishing the chance to go up against the O'Brien
– Elliott partnership.
For The Toon: Lee Bowyer
In the corresponding 3-3 draw last year Bowyer put in a performance
that went a long way to ensuring that all summer long Geordies were
crying out for him to start the new season in central midfield. An
excellent show last Saturday was followed by an undisciplined and
careless performance in the UEFA Cup. We need Bowyer to breath life
into an often static midfield that quite simply on our travels is
out passed, fought, tackled and ran. A goal this Sunday and an all
round energetic display would go a long way to ensuring that those
summer calls become a season long reality.
Kevin "Rat Boy" Phillips
You don't need me to tell you who he used to play for. You know the
drill lads and lasses...give him what for :)
| NUFC Squad News &
Pre-Match Reaction |
Manager Graeme Souness on the match:
"When we go away from home it's the same rules and more or less the
same size pitches, so why cannot Newcastle win?
"What we have to do is to stand up and be counted away from
home, starting at Southampton tomorrow. We don't seem to have many
problems winning at home but it seems to be different when we leave
St James' Park.
"Yet at Blackburn Rovers the opposite was very much the case last
season. We won eight times away from home in the Premiership but we
couldn't do it at home.
"No two games are ever alike. We all know how Southampton will
play and that is getting the ball up to James Beattie as quickly as
possible.
"They are always a handful at home and it is something we will have
to contend with."
United squad:
Given, Harper, Carr, Hughes, Bernard, Elliott, Ramage, O'Brien, Butt,
Jenas, Robert, Bowyer, Milner, N'Zogbia, Ambrose, Brittain, Shearer,
Kluivert, Bellamy, Ameobi.
| Southampton Squad
News & Pre-Match Reaction |
Southampton squad:
Niemi, Kenton, Lundekvam, Jakobsson, Le Saux, Fernandes, Delap, Prutton,
A Svensson, Phillips, Beattie, Crouch, Nilsson, Higginbotham, Best,
Telfer, Folly, Ormerod, Tessem, Smith.
Kevin Phillips on the match:
"Charlton got us going again and hopefully on Sunday we can pick
up from where we left off last season.
"We want another performance like we had at the Valley but we
want an end result with that as well.
"It will be a different game to Monday and Newcastle are a better
side than Charlton so come Sunday it will be a good test and we will
need to do the things we do well.
"We need to work hard, work for each other and get back to the
basics that we know we can do but I think since Steve Wigley has taken
over he has installed those things in us again.
"He wants urgency and he wants a high tempo in a game and we
showed that at Charlton and worked extremely hard. I think we are
a team that has to do that because, with no disrespect to anybody
here, we haven't got the quality individually that perhaps Newcastle
have got.
"We have shown that if we work as a unit and we work hard then
we can grind teams down, and we have got the quality to put the ball
in the net, but if we are not working to our maximum then we are not
a quality side."
Chris Foy: Last officiated a Toon game in our 1-1 draw at
the Walkers Stadium against Leicester City on Boxing Day 2003. No
major gaffes that day in what was quite an easy game for the St.Helens
official to referee.
| Last Meeting (at St. Mary's) |
Southampton 3-3 NUFC (Premiership: 12th of May 2004)
An entertaining, end to end game brought an end to our Champions League
aspirations - needing a win we could only manage a draw on the South
Coast, despite taking the lead twice. In the end a last minute equaliser
from Darren Ambrose would be the goal that proved the decisive point
in ensuring UEFA Cup football.
The teams that day:
Southampton: Blayney, Telfer, Lundekvam (Kenton 36),
Hall, Crainey, Fernandes (Griffit 81), Folly, Anders Svensson, Prutton,
Beattie, Ormerod (Phillips 74). Subs not used: Poke, Blackstock.
United: Given, Hughes, Bramble, Stephen Caldwell,
Bernard, Dyer (Robert 75), Bowyer, Ambrose, Speed, Shearer, Ameobi.
Subs not used: Harper, Griffin, Viana.
Southampton scorers: Beattie (19), Bramble (39 og),
Griffit (88)
United goalscorers: Ameobi (7), Bowyer (35), Ambrose
(80)
Attendance: 31,815
| Previous 5 Meetings (away
to Southampton - all competitions) |
| Date |
Score |
Comp |
Toon Scorers |
| 13/1/2004 |
Won 3-0 |
FA Cup R3 |
Dire (2), Robert |
| 14/12/2002 |
Drew 1-1 |
Premiership |
Bellamy |
| 11/5/2002 |
Lost 3-1 |
Premiership |
Shearer |
| 16/9/2000 |
Lost 2-0 |
Premiership |
None |
| 15/8/1999 |
Lost 4-2 |
Premiership |
Shearer (P), Speed |
| |
Southampton
wins |
Draws |
Newcastle
Wins |
| League |
25 |
16 |
29 |
| FA Cup |
5 |
1 |
2 |
| League Cup |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| Total |
31 |
19 |
31 |
| Form Guide (League &
Cups) |
| Newcastle |
Southampton |
| Opposition |
V |
Result |
Opposition |
V |
Result |
| Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin |
H |
W 2-0 |
Charlton Athletic |
A |
D 0-0 |
| Blackburn Rovers |
H |
W 3-0 |
Chelsea |
A |
L 2-1 |
| Aston Villa |
A |
L 4-2 |
Bolton Wanderers |
H |
L 2-1 |
| Norwich City |
H |
D 2-2 |
Blackburn Rovers |
H |
W 3-2 |
| Tottenham Hotspur |
H |
L 1-0 |
Aston Villa |
A |
L 2-0 |
| Middlesbrough |
A |
D 2-2 |
Charlton Athletic |
A |
L 2-1 |
| Liverpool |
A |
D 1-1 |
Newcastle United |
H |
D 3-3 |
| Southampton |
A |
D 3-3 |
Aston Villa |
H |
D 1-1 |
| Wolverjampton
Wanderers |
H |
D 1-1 |
Chelsea |
A |
L 4-0 |
| Marseille |
A |
L 2-0 |
Bolton Wanderers |
H |
L 2-1 |
| *Last
10 matches in all competitions. Keys: V
= Venue L = Loss W
= Win D = Draw |
A return to the South Coast for Souness then and a return to winning
ways on the road for the Toon. If the Scot picks the right lineup
and we manage to keep Beattie and Phillips quiet. 2-0 with another
clean sheet. (Fingers crossed). |
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