NEWCASTLE v MANCHESTER CITY - SVEN’S NEW YEAR AWAY DAY RESOLUTION TO START AT ST JAMES’?
Sven Goran Eriksson takes his City side to St James’ Park looking to end their poor away run of 8 matches without a win. The former England manager has seen his reputation soar as he’s revitalised the Eastlands club who sit fifth in the Premier League. The same cannot be said of Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce who was tipped to replace the Swede as England manager. Despite sitting comfortably in mid-table, Big Sam is feeling pressure from all directions as Newcastle lurch from one supposed crisis to another. Another home defeat would put incredible pressure on his over burdened shoulders and could make 2008 an annus horribilis for the former Bolton manager.
You would expect Newcastle to have a poor home record with the amount of pressure Allardyce is under but it is not as bad as most would expect. They have been beaten twice at St James’ in a convincing manner by both Portsmouth and Liverpool. Teams above them such as Everton (3 defeats) and Blackburn (4 defeats) have far worse home losing records. They have also won 5 games, that’s more than Liverpool, Blackburn, Portsmouth and West Ham this season. So Sam could be forgiven for thinking the amount of criticism he has received this season is unwarranted. However, his team has not won in 3 matches over the festive period despite playing the Leagues whipping boys Derby so expect a disgruntled home crowd to turn very quickly if they struggle in this match.
City have the players to be an impressive counter attacking force and it will be Sven’s new year resolution to do better on the road. They have pace and creativity in the form of Elano and Petrov and this could be the match where they turn their away fortunes around. They have lost once in their last 4 away games so are not struggling as badly on their travels as some would suggest. This could be a match made for City to grab an away win with such a disgruntled and volatile home crowd working in their favour. They are also unbeaten in the last 4 encounters with Newcastle (3 wins) so should be confident. If you are not convinced, cover yourself with a draw and an away win on Premier 10.
Pundit’s Pick: The pressure mounts on Big Sam (away win)
Tags: 02/01/08, Big Sam, Manchester City, Newcastle, Sam Allardyce, Sven Goran Eriksson, Toon
