Mike Williamson is one of our favorite players at Newcastle, and the Stoke-On-Trent born 26 year-old player looks such a bargain buy at £1M from Portsmouth.
Mike with his two kids -celebrating promotion – what else?
Of course it will be a big test for Mike next season in the Premier League, to show he has the ability to also star in the world’s top league, but of course we are hoping the lad can do just that.
But there will be significant competitionor Mike from Coloccini, Steven Taylor and young up-and-coming Tamas Kadar.
Mike Told The Evening Chronicle:
“I’ve come up through the leagues, so to speak, and I’ve enjoyed doing it that way.” “It can be a very grounded situation to be in.”“But I’ve played against Carlisle and teams like that from League One and Two, so I know what it’s about.”
“I’m looking forward as much to Carlisle as Old Trafford. I just want to get back on the pitch, and get some minutes under my belt.” “Fitness is paramount.”
“You want to get a good base before the games, and it looks as though the pre-season games are going to be difficult, so it’s a challenge, and I can’t wait.”
The lads will have their first pre-season game at Carlisle tomorrow, and manager Chris Hughton is expected to field a team that will include some of our top youngsters.
Mike knows it will be really tough next season, but all the lads seem to already be ready for the fight, and it’s just great to see that team-spirit and camaraderie in the squad – it will help the side get some points in tough games next season, and we’ll need every point we can get to be safe.
Mike continued:
“We’ve got to be realistic.” “We’re going to come across testing times, but the strength and character we’ve got as a group of players will see us through that.”“We’ve got the quality to comfortably survive, and then build on that.”
Last season Birmingham were the surprise team and did well, along with the other promotion side Wolves, although Burnley found it too touch and were relegated, and that was after a decent start in the first three months of last season.
After such a terrific promotion season Newcastle must be in with a good chance of performing well, although we’ll have to wait and see on that.
This season, it will be a miracle if Blackpool can survive, but it seems like Ian Holloway and the seaside club are trying to reinforce their squad before the season starts, just as much as they can, but it’s a huge jump in class for the Tangerines.
Williamson is looking forward to stabilizing Newcastle even further next season, and if the team can finish in a respectable position next May, the club can build on that, and certainly we have some great young talent coming through the club.
Mike continued:
“You look at climbing the ladder.” “It’s paramount to stabilise our position in the league, and make sure we’re playing there the next season.”
“Once the season starts, you can adjust your goals.” “Some teams come into the league, and they excel.” “The goals change. You still want to stay in the league, but you can build on that.”
“With the team bond and the work ethic, and we’ve certainly got a good manager here, I think there’s no reason why we can’t carry on achieving as a team.”
It’s now 31 days before our first game at Old Trafford – 4 weeks on Monday – and we just cannot wait.
Howay The Lads!!
Comments welcome.
Written from Plymouth, England.
5 comments so far
Thump
Jul 16, 2010 at 7:41 AM
Comment #1The lad speaks a lot of sense. I hope he goes into coaching after he hangs up his boots.
Also have you lads seen this?
http://www.newcastle.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=204964
Doha Mag
Jul 16, 2010 at 8:37 AM
Comment #2Terrific attitude and truly hope he does well in the PL. Think Colo or Taylor may have a problem taking Williamson’s place from him in the team….
Ed, what’s the latest on Steve Taylor signing a new contract?
TheMags
Jul 16, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Comment #3AGREE ^^ very good in there air and defensivly good on his feet and ground
Sav
Jul 16, 2010 at 1:10 PM
Comment #4All true. But when Mike Williamson says ‘once the season starts….spme teams come in to the league and they excel,’ – it should be remembered that for every team that unexpectedly does well, the opposite can also happen. I’ve not much confidence in a striker pool of Lovenkrands, Best and Ameobi. I’m hoping Carroll does well but am also concerned his court case is going to throw him out of his stride.
I’m sure Hughton is working on it and I like the idea of a ‘starless’ team for a change, but we really do need some extra quality up front.
henok ethiopian toon
Jul 16, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Comment #5he is a good player ,but he still isn’t that good or epl standard player