With just one win in their last ten games, and a current losing streak of six games, John Carver will be desperate to end his sides baron run but, with Swansea City looking to pile on the misery for Newcastle when the clubs meet at St James’ Park this weekend, the Magpies have a tough task ahead.
We caught up with Read Swansea’s editor Declan Terry, who gave us his insight, ahead of the game.
What is your assessment of Swansea’s season so far?
This season has been outstanding. Many tipped us for relegation before the season kicked off, but boy did we prove everyone wrong. Throughout the season we’ve been consistent and played very well. Every player has been superb and Garry Monk is building a very strong Swansea squad, which is very exciting for the future.
How do you view Newcastle?
Newcastle are a team that is highly underachieving in my opinion. Perhaps it’s due to Mike Ashley, I know you lot don’t particularly like him as he’s pretty clueless and some of his decisions have halted any progress – like selling your star players continuously. But with a fair few youngsters coming through, I hope the future is brighter than the troublesome days of late.
What do you make of our season so far?
It’s been a real rollercoaster ride. The season didn’t kick off in the best of fashions but then Alan Pardew turned things around in that terrific run accumulated through October and November. However, after Pardew left, the squad hasn’t been performing with Carver in charge and with six straight losses, there are real worrying signs.
What do you make of the John Carver situation? Does he deserve the job permanently?
I don’t think he deserves the job permanently. I understand he’s Newcastle through and through and that he absolutely adores the club, but he’s not ready for Premier League management in my eyes. It’s hardly his fault though, he was chucked straight into an unsettled squad and with not a lot of experience it was always going to be tough.
Which Newcastle player(s), if any, would you take at the Liberty?
I would definitely take Sammy Ameobi. He’s a quality player and a free agent in the summer. He’s got tremendous pace and power and can prove to be a real game changer. I’d also take Ayoze Perez if I had the chance – a brilliant young striker that will grow into a proper goalscorer.
Which Swans players should Newcastle be wary of on Saturday?
Gylfi Sigurdsson always creates trouble for opposition and he’s also got a decent scoring record too. Other than Sigurdsson, depending on whether he features – Jefferson Montero. In the recent loss to Leicester, Montero was by far our best player. He’s got electric pace, as well as the trickery to beat any right back. Daryl Janmaat could be in for a tough game on Saturday.
Who will Swans fans fear in a black & white shirt?
After watching the Tottenham game on Sunday, it’s hard to pick out a certain player as most of the squad were very poor. But the striker Perez will probably cause the most problems. I’m also glad that Papiss Cisse isn’t available because he always seems to perform against Swansea. He scored two down the Liberty in October and was a real handful.
Lastly, your Swansea line-up and score prediction.
I’m going for the exactly the same team from the Leicester outing – Fabianski, Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Amat, Ki, Cork, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Oliveira. It’s a very weakened team with Naughton, Taylor and Gomis out, but I think we can improve from last week and perhaps salvage a draw at St James’ Park. I’m going 1-1.
