MICK QUINN: I am a Newcastle United supporter so the column from now is going to be about backing the team, and analysing how we are going to have a successful season.Something, incidentally, that I feel is well within our capabilities.
I’ll keep my end of the bargain if Alan Pardew puts out a team to take all three points and not settle for a draw against Paul Lambert’s side.
Managers lose their jobs if results don’t go their way. Can you really blame them by being overly cautious?
But football is about scoring goals.
I fancy us this weekend and an away win against a fairly strong team would put everyone in a good mood.
It’s been a long time since that has happened. It would be rather nice.
Call me old fashioned if you will, but I’d like us to go to the Midlands and try to win the game, rather than keeping it tight, and playing with two men up-front.
The lone striker fad is killing me. I hate it. But so many teams these days play with this system.
Spain started the trend by winning everything in sight with one striker or even having none at all.
But when you look at the midfielders they have, and we are talking some of the best that have ever played the game, Spain are the one team in world football that don’t need a centre-forward.
We do need one. Actually, we need two of them.
Why is 4-4-2 so out-dated? Who decided that?
Newcastle are not so great when we sit in and keep things tight. The likes of Hatem Ben Arfa are much better when asked to attack.
We won at Villa Park last season, however, and we should be going down there to repeat that result.
Cisse can’t play on his own. Everyone and their dog knows that.
But he has Remi as a ready-made partner. He’s got pace and is direct. I think they could make a dangerous pairing.