We keep hoping Preview Percy will forget to come back after these extended breaks the fixture list keeps throwing up. However someone keeps reminding him. We will find you, you know. In the meantime here’s his look at Monday’s visit of Newcastle...
Next up we play host at the Olympic to Newcastle United. Kick off on Monday night is at 8pm with Sky Sports being in charge of broadcasting the match to the masses. The Elizabeth line strike planned for the day has been suspended so just the usual horrors of rush hour to contend with.
So the Percy/Alastair (RIP) derby then. Well the advent of the Saudi billions has not resulted in the glut of trophies that similarly enrichened owners in Manchester and, to a lesser extent, west London managed to blag on their arrival on these shores. There is of course a good reason for that.
The introduction of the various rules and regulations on spending, whilst not exactly popular in Abu Dhabi, did serve to effectively pull up the drawbridge behind Man City to prevent other clubs doing the same thing. Hence the Geordies’ last bit of major silverware coming in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 in the days, perhaps appropriately, of black and white tv.
Incidentally UEFA were not involved in the running of that competition and, consequently don’t count it as an honour. I personally do. Partly because in its latter days it was a strong competition – it didn’t suddenly become a thing once UEFA transformed it into the UEFA Cup, but mainly because if UEFA says "it’s not a major honour", logic dictates that it must therefore be such.
Having been prevented by spending big money during either of the windows thanks to the PSR rules, their season has been marked by inconsistency. They hit a purple patch over the December to mid-January period, winning six on the trot in the league. However, since then norm has been a bit mixed, reading LWLLWL over their last six.
Those defeats came at home to Bournemouth (1-4) and Fulham (1-2) and away at Manchester City (4-0) and Liverpool (2-0). The wins came away at Southampton (obviously) (3-1) and at home to Forest (4-3). All of that has left them in ninth place with 44 points from 27 games, level on points with Bournemouth with whom they have a five-goal deficit for goal difference purposes.
As mentioned, financial constraints meant that, had Sky bothered to send someone to sit in a car outside their training ground this winter as part of their increasingly desperate over-hyping of the transfer window as spectator sport, they’d have been wasting their time.
Before heading off to the spa to take yet another day off, Daisy did tell me that they brought in Kyle Fitgerald, a young Irish kid for their academy. However the Galway lad is not likely to figure for the first XI any time soon so Daisy’s not being paid for that one.
The big story for them in terms of this match will be their selection. They are of course just under a week shy of the League Cup final against Liverpool. They have a number of players who will miss both this match and the final. Central defence would seem to be a problem area at the moment.
Lewis Hall is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury whilst Sven Botman has had a recurrence of a knee problem which will keep him out until May. Jamaal Lascelles also has a knee problem that will keep him out, again until May. Kieran Trippier seems to have recovered from a back injury, though he will face a late fitness test.
The big question mark is talismanic striker Alexander Isak. He has had injury issues in recent weeks, though he did return for last week’s Cup defeat to Brighton, being withdrawn before the end with fatigue and “tightness” having missed a few games with a groin problem. The question is whether they will risk him six days before a cup final. If they decide to keep him in reserve, expect to see perennial thorn in our side Wilson on the pitch at some stage.
Then of course there is serial cheat Anthony Gordon whose stupidity has gotten him a three match suspension, the middle one of which will be the League Cup final itself. Karma can be quite wonderful sometimes, can’t it!?
And on to this week’s Wild And Wacky World Of Association Football. And just when you think the football authorities couldn’t possibly get more stupid, out comes FIFA boss Infantino with his latest idea. The 2026 World Cup final is going to have its own half-time show.
You see the Superbowl has one and football is so much bigger across the world than that, isn’t it. Nothing to do with potential for lots of lovely advertising money to flow into FIFA’s coffers then Gianni? And, as if that weren’t bad enough, Infantino announced that he was getting Chris Martin out of Coldplay to organise it.
The half-time interval is fifteen minutes long. Ladies and gentlemen be prepared for it to feel like a lot longer. Then, as the advertising money floods in, be prepared for FIFA turning the interval into a whole half hour. Mind you if I were a Tottenham fan I’d probably be demanding for an extension.
And on to us. And, for once, well done to the club for climbing down from its mad decision to scrap concessions for most and banish others to the more inaccessible parts of the stadium. I know a lot of people were involved in the protests but one does doff one’s cap at Paul Colborne and the Hammers United group in particular for persuading the club of the error of its ways. The price freeze for next season is welcome as well. Hurrah!
Meanwhile on the pitch it was a pretty routine victory last time out over a Leicester side for whom the word woeful scarcely seemed adequate. It seemed a bit churlish that the ludicrous panel who self-importantly decide these things managed to decide Bowen’s shot wasn’t going in – it looked like it was and surely he ought to get the benefit of the doubt.
Even Anthony Taylor – a late replacement for Stuart Atwell – couldn’t help Leicester. Much as we usually suffer under Taylor, Leicester gave him nothing to work with and the dodgy official was reduced to giving non-existent corners throughout. I fear Leicester are heading for a swift return whence they came – where it is rumoured a points penalty may await for past misdemeanours on the financial front.
It should have been three, of course, Ferguson is clearly still ring-rusty following his injury lay-off and someone a bit more match fit wouldn’t have taken the extra touch that ultimately hit his chances of opening his account for us.
I must admit I do like the three at the back set-up, with young Ollie Scarles on the left benefiting in particular from having that other youngster Aaron Cresswell playing behind him in the three. Max Kilman benefits from having Jean-Clair Todibo alongside him rather than Mavropanos, though I do look forward to the day when Todibo is fit enough to have a full 90 in him.
On the injury front, Michail Antonio is now officially looking at a pre-season return, something that at first seemed unthinkable when the first news of his car crash came in. Crysencio Summerville’s hamstring is also healing up but, it is in the nature of these things that it will be April before he returns.
Niclas Fullkrug is looking at a similar return, though he has started training with the first XI. Lucas Paqueta is physically fit, though whether he is mentally fit after the news that the FA want to ban him for life when the hearings into his alleged betting misdemeanours starts later this month is another matter. Vladimir Coufal is also close to a return.
So to the prediction. Well the big shadow looming over them is the League Cup and their attempt to win a first trophy in colour will, consciously or otherwise, hang over them. Will they stick or twist with Isak?
On our side of the equation, feel good is the order of the day and I think that that plus the fact that we have had their measure in recent years – they’d have had nothing out of our encounters without some frankly outrageous refereeing – leads me to conclude that we might prevail. So the £2.50 I was going to send to Infantino to bribe him NOT to have Coldplay in his lousy half-time show, will instead be going on a home win. 2-1 to us please Mr Winstone!
Enjoy the game!
When Last We met At The Olympic : Drew 2-2 Premier League October 2023
An Isak brace – both of which resulted from some of the worst refereeing ever seen – saw them lead on the hour after Soucek had given us an early lead. Kudus’ equaliser gave us the draw which was the very least we deserved. Peter Bankes was not required to account for his actions and still referees today. Go figure.
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Remember the idiot who gave Sheffield United a point with two penalty decisions – one given to them when McBurnie fouled Areola and One not when Bowen was wrestled to the ground? Yup its him again. Still referees today. Go figure.
Danger Man: Alexander Isak
In a rich vein of form this season. If he is rested ahead of the League Cup final, look out for Calum Wilson who scores against us all the time.
Percy and Daisy’s Newcastle Fact Of The Week Type Thing
In October 1889 a Miss Alma Beaumont ascended in a hot air balloon and made a parachute jump into the football ground that is now St James’ Park in front of a large crowd of spectators. Although daring for the time it is believed that the jump took place from a height about half that of the current away end.
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