Besieged Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren is preparing to ring the changes when Liverpool arrive at St James’ Park this Sunday.
There are plenty of fixtures between now and the opening of the January transfer window, and McClaren is acutely aware of the fact that Newcastle’s current starting XI have been well below par in recent weeks.
Saturday’s 5-1 defeat at Palace was the second time the Magpies have been routed by their opponents in successive games, and The Chronicle claim that McClaren will call on a number of United’s forgotten men in an attempt to arrest his side’s alarming slump in form.
McClaren acknowledged that Newcastle’s Selhurst Park thumping was largely a result of his frail back-four’s failure to handle the physicality of 6ft 3in Palace forward Connor Wickham, and the 53-year-old is looking to add some much-needed steel to United’s defence.
One man who could certainly provide that is seasoned centre-back Mike Williamson, who was recently recalled from his loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Williamson’s Newcastle career looked to be all but over when he was shipped out on loan to Molineux at the start of November. However, United’s defensive woes and growing list of injuries mean that the Englishman was resummoned earlier this week, and he now finds himself on the cusp of an unlikely return to the Magpies’ starting XI.
The no-nonsense defender undoubtedly lacks in the technical department, but his professionalism and effort can never be called into question – unlike the majority of his black and white colleagues.
The Chronicle also claim that inventive Dutch forward Siem de Jong – whose game time has been at a premium since returning from a punctured lung – is in line for a long-awaited opportunity to start against The Reds.
Only three Premier League sides have scored fewer goals than Newcastle so far this season, and the Toon Army will hope that de Jong, who scored 57 goals in 168 appearances for Ajax, can inject some creativity into the Magpies’ sterile side.
