Brighton v Newcastle: The Toon view with NUFCBlog.co.uk

With the battle to avoid the final Premier League relegation spot looking like a three-way fight between Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham, our friends at NUFCBlog.co.uk believe that the clash between Seagulls and Magpies at the Amex could be season defining for the Toon Army.

You can see why. Fulham are improving every week, Brighton have shown that they can get points if they score goals. Newcastle meanwhile are beset by acrimony between Steve Bruce and his players, Steve Bruce and the media and Steve Bruce and the fans.

Two wins in 19 hardly helps the Toon’s cause. Should that record be extended to two in 20 via Brighton winning a home Premier League match for only the second time this season, then the feeling on Tyneside appears to be they are as good as down.

Here is everything that Olly from NUFCBlog.co.uk had to tell us about Newcastle – and we have to admit, it does make for encouraging reading even if Brighton do have a particularly ghastly record of their own against struggling opposition at home so far this season…

Talk us through Newcastle’s season so far and the question every Brighton supporter will want answering – are the Toon going down?
It has been another one full of toothless performances lacking in identity – only this time we are stuck on the points tally Bruce-ball deserves, unlike last season.

We managed to pick up points over the first half of the season and went up to 10th in December after a late win at Palace, but our form since then has been nothing short of woeful.

Lose to you boys on Saturday night and that will be two wins in our last 20 games and no wins from Wolves, West Brom, Aston Villa and Brighton – relegation form if I ever saw it.

With us in freefall, Fulham looking capable of winning games every week and Brighton a good team who just need to convert performances into points, I feel like the writing is on the wall for us unless something big changes.

That leads us nicely into – and we probably all know the answer to this one – Steve Bruce, in or out?
It is Bruce out and it has been for some time. The problem is, we have probably left it too late to sack him in typical Mike Ashley style.

Bruce chopped and changed formation and personnel every week before our new assistant Graeme Jones came in, he constantly throws his players under the bus after defeat and never takes the blame.

He is a grandfather clock living in a digital age and has been found out. He has sometimes described by players as a brilliant man manager, but that is no longer the case here after a recent ‘bust-up’ with Matt Ritchie.

In short, he has a capable squad that should be closer to the top 10 than the relegation zone, yet he has us sleepwalking towards yet another relegation – which was so avoidable this season.

If Bruce were to leave, who would you want to see take over? And how much difference do you think it would make given they would still be working under Mike Ashley?
As mentioned, there is a real fear we have left it too late. If we had brought in a new manager for the Wolves, West Brom, Aston Villa and Brighton games we may have been given a lift and bagged a few wins, however we have Spurs, West Ham, Man City, Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal in six of our last nine games.

That said, a good manager could get a tune out of Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser, it is just tough to know who would work under Ashley and come in so late and risk a relegation being on their CV!

Rafa Benitez won’t come back whilst Ashley remains and Frank Lampard is unrealistic in the situation we find ourselves in, so I would like to see us go for Eddie Howe. I am unsure as to whether he would take the job though, so it would be no surprise if we ended up looking at Chris Wilder.

What sort of approach can we expect to see from Newcastle at the Amex?
We have adopted a 4-3-1-2 formation of late, seeing us play with a false nine behind two wide forwards. With that in mind, we will have a flat back four and Isaac Hayden protecting that, with Arsenal loanee Joe Willock bursting forward in more of a box-to-box role and Jonjo Shelvey attempting to put long balls in behind for the likes of Fraser and Dwight Gayle.

The big one for me is whether or not Almiron makes it. He has been our star man since the turn of the year, giving us pace, pressing and urgency in that false nine role. If there is one thing that might hurt you it is pace, so we are really hoping he is back.

A lot of Albion fans will have been relieved to see Wilson and Saint-Maximin ruled out. How much of a blow is that?
It is a huge blow. Wilson is not just our top scorer but the man that led the line, linked the play and pressed from the front. If he had been fit to play in our last few games we might have turned a few of those 1-1 or 0-0 draws into wins. He would have certainly buried the big chances that fell to Joelinton.

Saint-Maximin has been below his best this season and a victim of Bruce-ball at times, but there is no doubt he is a match winner capable of putting any defence on the back foot.

Considering I expect you to have around 70 percent possession in this one and periods of real pressure, we could havbe done with him to give you something to think about on the counter.

Fraser will start in his absence and has pace and quality, but not that explosiveness needed to carry us 50 yards up the pitch. Jacob Murphy might be one to watch. He came on from the bench last time out, changed the game and set up Lascelles’ equaliser, so he is one we’ are hoping to see start.

It was a rare win against a side in the bottom half of the table for Brighton when we met at St James’ Park in September. What did you make of the game that day?
You absolutely suffocated us that day and showed what you are capable of when ruthless in front of goal to run out 3-0 winners! I remember Tariq Lamptey causing us all sorts of problems down the right, so I am glad to see he will be missing. I do hope for his sake that he makes a full recovery from that niggling hamstring injury, as he really is a top talent.

One lesson we also learned from that 3-0 defeat earlier in the season is Bruce’s naivety. Playing a 4-4-2 with Carroll up top – a player that makes my Gran look mobile – against a fluid Graham Potter side with five in midfield really was asking for trouble; and that’s exactly what we got.

Finally, what is the NUFCBlog.co.uk prediction for Brighton v Newcastle please?
If we had our front three fit I would wonder if we might just hurt you on the counter and pull off a smash and grab, but I feel like you will be full of confidence after that big win at Southampton last weekend and beat us 2-0.

A tiny part of me hopes you are wasteful in front of goal and nervous at the back after those late defeats to Palace and Leicester in your last two home games, however I just see you dominating the ball, creating more and coming away with a win that might just seal our fate, sadly.

Thanks to Olly from NUFCBlog.co.uk for answering our questions ahead of Newcastle v Brighton – and he might yet be in for a surprise given how wasteful the Albion can be! You can follow NUFC Blog on Twitter and follow the relegation battle over on the NUFC Blog website.