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Match Preview: West Bromwich Albion Vs Newcastle United
Match Info:
| Kick-Off:
Saturday October 30 4.00pm Live on Sky Sports |
| Venue:
The Hawthorns |
| Referee:
Howard Webb |
Match Preview By Ally
Campbell (29 October 2005)
A battling win in the League Cup on Wednesday makes it 2 wins in a
week and we now travel to the Hawthorns hoping to make it 3 out of
3. A few players were rested on Wednesday as the young lads got a
chance, but we should now have Emre and Owen back at least. A win
is needed to get us out of that damned bottom half, having to wait
until page 2 on Ceefax is depressing!
Injuries/suspensions
Michael Owen returns to the squad after a 2 match layoff and that’s
a massive boost for the team. He needs a run of games to get fit and
settled, I really hope his hamstring isn’t a dodgy one and that he
won’t he’ll aggravate it on Sunday, we can’t afford a long term injury
to him.
Emre comes back after being rested on Wednesday, obviously was seen
as a bit risky but it’ll be good to have him back. Despite being in
the squad on Wednesday, Kieron Dyer is out of this game again, apparently
needs a bit longer. Don’t get me started on that one! Elsewhere, Luque
is still out and Bowyer and Ameobi are added on the basis of a fitness
test.
United squad:
Given, Carr, Babayaro, Boumsong, Bramble, Parker, N'Zogbia, Taylor,
Emre, Clark, Solano, Shearer, Owen, Faye, Elliott, Ramage, Harper,
Chopra, Brittain.
West Bromwich Albion Squad:
Hoult, Kuszczak, Watson, Albrechtsen, Clement, Gaardsoe, Moore, Davies,
Scimeca, Carter, Chaplow, Wallwork, Johnson, Inamoto, Greening, Kamara,
Kanu, Ellington, Horsfield, Campbell, Earnshaw.
How should we approach this game?
West Brom are struggling a bit this season, but beating Arsenal recently
will have done them the world of good. They’re a hard working team,
and despite a lack of great individual talent they make up for it
in dedication and effort.
Their defence isn’t great though, and in recent weeks Chris Kirkland
has saved them on numerous occasions, thankfully he’s injured so Russell
Hoult will probably step in, a good keeper but not at Kirkland’s level.
We need to be effective with the ball though, use Emre as the pivot
of the midfield and let it run through him. We look a totally different
side without him and he adds so much to our game.
Reading his quotes he sounds like he really wants to succeed here,
he’s made a good start so keep it up! It’ll be his first game with
Michael Owen and I’m certainly looking forward to some nice through
balls to him. Emre will play to Owen’s strengths, that’s for sure.
Elseswhere Solano, despite disappointing on Wednesday, will need to
be better and put some quality balls into the strikers. Owen and Shearer
thrive on good service, and with our midfield they should score plenty.
Going forward last weekend we looked so much better with Solano &
Emre than without them, just stay fit!
Key Players
Newcastle:
For the Toon, it’s a toss up between Owen and Emre. I’d go with Emre
here. Its going to be a tough match and they won’t give us a lot of
space, so with accurate and quick passing we might be able to take
advantage. As we saw last week, his free kicks are corners are dangerous
and because of that he’s a big threat. Laurent Robert was a threat
like this though but inconsistently, lets hope Emre is better.
West Brom:
As for West Brom, I’m glad that Zolton Gera is injured. I think he’s
a cracking player and would definitely have him at St James. In his
absence, and in Kirkland’s absence, I’d say Robert Earnshaw poses
the biggest threat. He’s very quick indeed and whilst not a great
all round player, he has enough in his locker to worry Boumsong and
Taylor. Boum is quick, but he’s out of form and he’s lost confidence
and I think a lot of the crowd have too.
Verdict
My gut feeling says its going to be a 1-1 draw, but I’ll be optimistic
for a change and go for a 2-1 win for us. Howay the lads!
Likely Lineup
Pre-Match Reaction: Graeme Souness
"He (Bryan) was certainly the best English midfield player around.
Everything about him was right - he had class, great determination
and was a tough character. He was a proper one.
"I could not run like him, he was more athletic, but we had some great
fun. He never asked for or gave an inch, he was always there to be
counted when the going got tough and I'm sure that's how he manages.
"It's a shame there are not more of the greats of my generation managing.
The game today is not full of spin doctors, but there are a lot of
people who talk a good game.
"Credit to them because last year they were history at Christmas time.
But it did not surprise me. He (Bryan) never knows when he is beaten
and that's the message he will get across to his players."
Pre-Match Reaction: Bryan Robson
TBC...
West Bromwich Albion Vs Newcastle Head To Head
| Comp |
West
Brom Wins |
Draws |
Newcastle
Wins |
| League |
38 |
28 |
36 |
| FA
Cup |
2 |
0 |
1 |
| League
Cup |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Total |
42 |
28 |
39 |
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