Who is right?Speaking in recent interview on Swansea City’s Europa League campaign next season, Chairman Huw Jenkins knocked Europa League knockers such as Alan Pardew, who has frequently used midweek European competition as an excuse for his poor League form this season (amongst other things), with Jenkins dismissing such talk as “rubbish.”
Meanwhile his manager, Michael Laudrup, has also welcomed the extra games next season, seeing no need to significantly increase the numbers of his small squad (around 23 currently) for next season’s European campaign. On this Laudrup commented:
“I know one year that Barcelona played with 19 first-team players, as well as a few younger players, and they played every three days. It is possible.
“I know again the risks if you get an injury. Look at what happened to us when Neil Taylor broke his ankle the day after the transfer window shut. That has special implications, but I don’t believe in having 27 or 28 players (27 was about the size of Newcastle United’s first team squad before the new French player were beought in). You won’t have 27 players who are at the same level, so you will still have five or six who never play.(more…)
The Saints are marching in!Venue: St. James’ Park, Newcastle. Date: Sun 24th February, 2013. Kick off: 1.30pm. Referee: Chris Foy (Meeerseyside). UK TV: None.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our latest “match banter” for this afternoon’s game at St James’ Park, which sees the Magpies pitted against the Saints of Southampton.
As you may recall, our last game against Southampton at their place was something of a dire performance, with Newcastle losing 2-0 to an Adam Lallana goal in the first half, with the coup de grâce performed by Gastón Ramírez an hour into the game. Here’s hoping that things are different this afternoon.
One thing that certainly will be different is that the Saints will be rolling up at St James’ park with a new manager this time, the highly talented young Argentinian coach, Mauricio Pochettino. For those of you who might fancy a bit of light reading in the run up to this game, I have already prepared a little primer on the new man at the helm at St Mary’s, and he could be a very tricky customer indeed. (more…)
