Stephen Warnock is spot on with Newcastle United and Eddie Howe comments

4 months ago 29

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Stephen Warnock has been talking about Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

This follows United’s progress into the last eight of the FA Cup at Ewood Park on Tuesday night.

Stephen Warnock a one-time Blackburn Rovers player and interesting to hear what he had to say after the game.

Stephen Warnock speaking to the Football Daily Podcast:

“Newcastle weren’t that great and you can put that down to how well Blackburn played and how well organised they were.

“Eddie Howe will be absolutely delighted with his team because they got over the line.

“Sometimes it doesn’t matter how you do it.

“It shows character within the squad and that is what he will be happy with.”

I think there is a lot of truth in what Stephen Warnock says.

As he says, Newcastle ‘weren’t great’ but they weren’t terrible as some people are making out and credit to Blackburn for how they played.

Another real truism is that in the cup competitions, getting into the next round is all that counts. It doesn’t mean that you don’t look at ways the team can improve and correct weaknesses, but as usual, a lot of people go overboard.

I thought it was laughable when Newcastle totally dominated and hammered Sunderland away from home in the third round, yet got minimal praise. As though doing that was the norm whenever a Premier League side is away at a Championship one. That is most definitely not the case and at the time the Mackems were in a play-off spot.

Just this midweek, Bournemouth have lost at home to Championship Leicester, whilst West Ham earlier in the competition could only draw at home to Bristol City and then the Hammers got knocked out in the replay.

Blackburn finished seventh last season and only missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. In December they were in seventh spot and then quite clearly events behind the scenes and the eventual departure of Tomasson affected them.

In reality the Championship is always much of a muchness and summed up by the fact that third bottom Stoke are only nine points off Watford in eleventh. Blackburn in 16th are only five points off 11th.

Plus Rovers have the Championship’s top scorer in Szmodics, who got the equaliser on Tuesday.

Newcastle United are now just at the point of players coming back and needing to get them fit, whilst looking to get the whole team and squad jump started again, for the remainder of the season.

Some of it may not have been so pretty recently and the defending of the team needing improvement, at the same time though that ‘character’ which Stephen Warnock talks about has helped get United through a tricky period.

The last seven games show four Newcastle wins, two draws and just the one defeat away at title chasing Arsenal.

If now we can get a bit of a squad of options back together, no reason why NUFC can’t then build on this trick gritty period of at times not great quality performances but character aplenty producing decent results.

Stats via BBC Sport:

Blackburn 1 Newcastle 1 AET (3-4 on pens)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Gordon 71

Blackburn:

Szmodics 79

Possession was Blackburn 38% Newcastle 62%

Total shots were Blackburn 16 Newcastle 19

Shots on target were Blackburn 9 Newcastle 8

Corners were Blackburn 2 Newcastle 14

Referee: Jarred Gillett

Attendance: 22,730 (7,200+ Newcastle)

Newcastle team v Blackburn:

Dubravka, Trippier (Livramento 90), Lascelles, Schar, Burn, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock (Miley 62 (Anderson 116)), Murphy (Almiron 62), Gordon, Isak (Barnes 62)

Unused subs:

Karius, Ritchie, Krafth, Hall

(Match Report – A cast of weird and wonderful nutters populating the place and dying to talk to me – Read HERE)

(Blackburn 1 Newcastle 1 AET (3-4 on pens!) – First thing next morning Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Dubravka saves the day – Blackburn Rovers 1 Newcastle United 1 (NUFC win 4-3 on penalties) – Read HERE)

(Blackburn 1 Newcastle 1 AET (3-4 on pens) – Match ratings and comments on all NUFC players – Read HERE)

Newcastle United confirmed matches to mid-April 2024:

Saturday 2 March 2024 – Newcastle v Wolves (3pm)

Monday 11 March 2024 – Chelsea v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Weekend of Saturday 16 March 2024 – Man City v Newcastle

Saturday 30 March 2024 – Newcastle v West Ham (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Tuesday 2 April 2024 – Newcastle v Everton (7.30pm) TNT Sports