Ahead of Newcastle’s monumental clash with Southampton on Saturday afternoon, we caught up with Saints fan and owner of freshsaints.com, Aidan Small, to get his views on Ronald Koeman’s side, how the game could pan out and whether he believes the Magpies have a realistic chance of surviving the drop.
Hi Aidan, thanks for agreeing to this interview. It’s been another stellar campaign for Ronald Koeman’s effervescent Saints’ side. Who has been Southampton’s player of the season so far?
There have been a number of strong performers in Ryan Bertrand, Shane Long and Steven Davis this season. But, it’s the new boy Virgil Van Dijk that takes it for me. The Dutch centre half is everything that you need in a modern defender; he’s strong, technically able, consistent, and best of all, entertaining. After Toby Alderweireld departed Southampton for Tottenham Hotspur, fans would be forgiven to think that finding a replacement would be nigh on impossible. But my god, we done it. 50 yard diagonal passes, clattering attackers to the floor and being a threat from every last set piece are just a few qualities in his game. I would go as far as saying that I haven’t seen a defender dominate aerial duels like Van Dijk, since Nemanja Vidic.
Which player/players have disappointed you most during the 2015/16 campaign?
Maarten Stekelenburg. We weren’t expecting much, but we certainly weren’t expecting nothing. With Fraser Forster out for the opening of the season, Stekelenburg was shipped in to cover until the Englishman’s return. But, looking back, I struggle to recall one moment where Stekelenburg impressed. He was hesitant to step up from his line, could only hit the long ball and allowed numerous saveable strikes to simply roll past him. Worst of all however, he installed no confidence into the back line. Whilst he was a superb keeper in his earlier days, age looks to have taken its toll. Southampton’s form after Xmas was terrific & seemed to turn a fairly poor season on its head completely.
Do you think you’re in with an outside chance of European qualification?
The Premier League is crazy. So much so that Southampton achieving a place in the Europa League would be an outside story given what’s occurred this year. When you look at how competitive and easy it is for teams to drop points in the Premier League, it’s perfectly reasonable for us to obtain a European spot if we find ourselves in good form. Provided we pick up four wins from our remaining six games, we certainly have a good chance.
Newcastle fans still rue the club’s decision to sell Fraser Forster many years ago. Just how highly do you rate the Geordie stopper?
Before Forster returned, Southampton kept three clean sheets in their last 17 games. Once Forster returned, Southampton didn’t concede a goal for just under 700 minutes – a new club record. The 6ft 7inch monster possesses lightning reactions, a leap like few others and installs bags of confidence into his defence. He will always place his body on the line, appreciate the chants of the crowd and as a result, has become a real fan favourite. Whilst I believe that Joe Hart should be England’s number one, Forster is firmly placed as next in line.
Which Newcastle player/players have you been impressed with this season? Would you like Southampton to pursue any members of the current Magpies’ squad?
From his time with PSV, the Netherlands and Newcastle, i’ve always enjoyed watching Georginio Wijnaldum. His ability to find pockets of space, operate in different areas of the front line and find the back of the net, has been desperately needed on the South Coast since Adam Lallana’s departure. Not to mention that Ronald Koeman stated out of anyone in the Netherlands, Wijnaldum impressed him most last season. If Newcastle were to be relegated, I’m sure that Koeman will be monitoring the situation of Wijnaldum.
What’s your perception of Newcastle United?
Newcastle United are a club that need to remove the poison that has been left in each and every last corner of their club. They need to rebuild their identity and make the time over this summer truly count. Provided they can fill Newcastle United with the right personalities, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, I’m sure we won’t be waiting long for Newcastle to once again be an established Premier League club. The resources to do so are certainly accessible.
Which player from Newcastle worries you most?
Through our time in the Premier League, we’ve always been suspect on the prevention of long distance strikes. Especially with a certain Jonjo Shelvey, who last season rocketed a 25 yard shot into the top corner for Swansea. Over this season especially, we’ve allowed too much space in the areas that long shot specialists flourish in.
If you were reporting back to Rafael Benitez on how to beat Southampton, what would you say?
Throughout the course of this season, our one area of inconsistency has been at right back. Despite bringing in two right backs over the summer in Cedric Soares and Cuco Martina, neither have nailed down their starting spot. It’s clear to see that Koeman doesn’t trust Cedric and as for Martina, everyone can see that he isn’t up to scratch. For me, I would tell Rafa Benitez to move Townsend onto the left and play a very direct wide game. Cedric is often beaten in aerial duels and physical battles, whilst Martina is clueless in positioning and lacking in pace. If Townsend plays a simple game plan, then he could cause havoc. Finally, it would be best for Townsend to avoid facing Bertrand on the right wing.
What is your prediction for Saturday’s game?
2-0 win. Newcastle will snatch at their chances with both Long and Austin hitting the back of the net for Southampton.
Finally, do you think that Newcastle can pull off a miracle and secure their Premier League status between now and May 15th?
At the moment, I can only see an escape being possible if you were to win at least four of your remaining fixtures and results elsewhere fell perfectly into your hands – it doesn’t take a football expert to know that is quite some ask. Your chances of Premier League survival are made all the more difficult with Alex Neil at last working out his strongest XI for Norwich. However, whilst I believe you will pick up some entertaining wins and show that you have a team with talent worthy of being in the Premier League, the damage of Steve McClaren’s reign will sadly sink Newcastle into the Championship.