Newcastle-born box-to-box midfielder Sean Longstaff is in form for the Newcastle U-23 team having hit four goals in four days.
Sean hit a hat-trick in the 5-1 rout of Hartlepool on Friday in the Central League Cup and yesterday he scored in the 2-0 U-23 league win over Middlesbrough.
Longstaff has now scored nine goals for Newcastle and the youngster, who turned 19 on Sunday, looks like one to watch in the Development squad.
Sean Longstaff – 19 year-old Newcastle central midfielder
In action at Brighton earlier this season where he scored two goals
Here’s what’s one the Newcastle web-site about the 5ft 11 ins tall Newcastle youngster:
A box-to-box midfielder who bases him game on Steven Gerrard and also admires Wayne Rooney, Sean made his under-18s bow last season while still at school.
The former John Spence Community School pupil lives in North Shields and played for North Shields Juniors. He joined Newcastle, his boyhood club, at the age of eight.
As well as football, Sean also enjoys cricket.
The Newcastle Development manager Peter Beardsley had this to say on the Newcastle web-site on Friday about Sean after his excellent hat-trick against Hartlepool:
“Sean is on a good run at the moment, and that will give him confidence.” “He has a good energy about him, he can run beyond people, and he is always in the box.”
“The more he scores, the better he is going to be. He has eight for the season, but he maybe could have had 12 or 13.”
“I’m probably being a little harsh there, but that’s the reality. He maybe should have had two or three at Fulham on Monday night.”
“The pleasing thing for me – being the type of player that I was – was that he was prepared to pass to Elias late on when he could have scored a fourth himself.”
“Fair play to him for that.”
Newcastle have not been too successful in bringing youngsters through to the first team over the last nine years but we do seem to have some exciting youngsters coming through the ranks and Sean is one of them.
The Youth Academy and the Development squad are two areas that Rafa Benitez has targeted as being very important for the future of the club and we must be able to develop our own youngsters.
Sean bases his game on the way Steven Gerrard plays – so that’s not a bad role model right there – and Rafa knows all about Gerrard.
Steven has said Rafa is the best manager he ever worked with and the Newcastle manager will be watching closely as Sean continues to look the part in the Development squad.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
20 comments so far
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 2:51 PM
Comment #1Poor Townsend doesn’t deserve Pardew. As we are all aware Pardew models himself on Mourinho and freely admits it. Even the great Jose is guilty of stifling flair players , look at the difference between Hazard under him and now.
Chelsea are playing football with a smile on their faces now as oppose to when old sour face was there. I really think Jose has become too cynical now and that infectious enthusiasm he used to instill into his players is no longer evident.
Munster Mag
Nov 1, 2016 at 2:52 PM
Comment #2Out of interest, how bad are the Mackems this year, compared to other bad sides of the past – eg Derby or Makems under other managers ? I have only seen them in bits and pieces and they looked ok ….not totally crap? Any insights ?
Essex Geordie Bill
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:21 PM
Comment #3Mr Tuff
Yeah that’s the acid test, he seems to have started OK though judging from the U23 game against Boro.
There’s a few good prospects in that team as well as Him and Longstaff
UNITED: Woodman; Williams (Newberry 62), Bailey, Findlay, Gibson; Hunter, Barlaser; Holmes, Longstaff, Elmahanni (Ward 81); Charman (Heardman 62).
Crowd: 508
Essex Geordie Bill
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:25 PM
Comment #4betty
I can’t see any manager wanting to model themselves on Mourhino at the present, never seen him looking so morose as a manager.
Jail for Ashley
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:27 PM
Comment #5Munster,
I think Moyes started the rot by stating they were in a relegation battle after three games in. Lost the fans, dressing room and tye support of every pundit just about.
Essex Geordie Bill
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:30 PM
Comment #6https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj5jIHA74fQAhVIIcAKHWRoDlYQyCkIHTAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmJtTaXNIIrg&usg=AFQjCNFHlHDt7CVmOt0YdGkzZEtDk3Y7XQ
Essex Geordie Bill
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:32 PM
Comment #7Mr Tuff
I accidentally clicked submit for that link, but it might take you to the Aarons dribbling skills one he did.
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:39 PM
Comment #8Bill. …… I suppose it’s hard to stay motivated as you get older but he certainly looks the epitomy of gloom. I think he has got left behind a bit as the game evolves with the high pressing attacking teams seeming to have the edge.
I remember when he first went to Chelsea how he always interacted with the players with smiles and pats on the back and the players having group hugs etc. He doesn’t need the money and he’s won everything so he’s probably become too cynical now. Positive energy transmits but so does the negative stuff.
Don’t let it come to you Bill stay young, positive and frivolous.
Don’t let it happen
Essex Geordie Bill
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:48 PM
Comment #9betty
I’ll certainly stay positive and frivolous, can do nowt about the other thing. 🙂
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:51 PM
Comment #10Good lad . That’s the spirit.
Jail for Ashley
Nov 1, 2016 at 3:56 PM
Comment #11Something Ibiza said to me the other day got me thinking. I’ve obviously bought right in to the Rafalution and I’m looking forward to exciting times. Ibiza kind of hinted that what is different to when I slugged it out with the set of lads calling themselves Optimistic Valley for being excited about what was happening while I insisted that we were being lied to and that those in charge had no intentions of delivering success.
Back in 2010 after Ashley had claimed to have us up for sale we were promoted and not long after the popular manager Chris Hughton was sacked without warning to be replaced with a sacked league one manager, apparently to take us forward, he bought himself some serious time with a player inspired defeat of Liverpool in his first game, the players dedicating the win to their former boss. It was soon made apparent that the new man was going to be a patsy after claiming Carroll was going nowhere but leaving for 35M which no one can deny was great business, if any hints as to all wasn’t well a fictitious bid for Nzogbia was made a few minutes before the transfer deadline. We limped through the rest of the season with some of the most boring football ever witnessed at SJP Despite having a threadbare squad we failed to sign a centre back that summer, picking up bargain basement players, like the failed medical Marveaux, dodgy knee Ba and the woeful Obertan, the dependable Erik Pieters was ditched in favour of an injured Davide Santon, who we now know was pursued as he was perceived to have more sell on value, this was done knowing we didn’t have a recognised LB at the club and the right sided MF Ryan Taylor was exposed time and time again, remarkably we managed an eleven game unbeaten run and anyone complaining that all was not well were dismissed as ‘neggars’. Our threadbare squad which saw Davide Santon as a CB at one stage was not bolstered by a defender in January but a bargain Cisse, this was despite the broken STaylor being ruled out for the season months earlier, there was no intention of finishing fifth that year, unbelievably we didn’t receive any more injuries that season and Willo and Collocini shored the defence while Cisse bagged that goals the would see us finish fifth while we played the most joyless football imaginable.
We managed fifth an amazing achievement that saw anyone questioning the owners intentions chased off the blog. Pardew promised four or five quality signings, six if we sold anyone,the transfer window came and went with only Vernon Anita signed despite Ryan Taylor being ruled out for the season. Still anyone who questioned this was a neggear, we didn’t sell anyone, Ashley wants success, it’s more important that we kept our best players. Pardew after being hung out to dry was given an eight year deal and the PR started, we can’t compete with Swansea or Southampton, we over achieved with fifth, lets have a shot at tenth. Then we had Dirk Llambias’ purple statement that spelled out that we’d never be competing at the top again. Slowly but surely the OV realised the new found optimism was built on sand, there was never going to be success under this model, for every high finish we’d see less spent the next year.
This time it is different, we do not have a patsy of a manager who wants to cement his place in the PL merry go round that is Pullis and Hughes he wants to become a legend here and has the CV to prove he is out to win. He had the advantage of knowing how Ashley works and laid down his rules, weeks of talks can only make us think he got what he wanted. If Ashley stitches him up there will be nothing much Keith Bishop can say or do to bring him out of the firing line.
manxpie
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:07 PM
Comment #12Oh god Ed’s messed with the mobile site again I’ve currently got supposedly stunning fat Disney character ads at the moment!! That drain my battery in minutes it was perfect before, don’t know why he bothers tbh it usually goes back to that in the end!
Belfast
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:07 PM
Comment #13Think I’ll read that one when I’ve got 1 hour to kill Jail.
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:08 PM
Comment #14I think many fans can feel instinctively that Rafa is here with the intention of trying to win something. Nobody likes to be duped or lied to and with Rafa it just feels right. At long last I might add.
Belfast
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:10 PM
Comment #15It’s changed to a desktop type one on mine.
Serves you right for having a Nokia 3210 Manxpie.
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:15 PM
Comment #16Jail…… It’s healthy to purge and get things off your chest but don’t feel obliged to justify your decision to support Rafa and what he’s doing for our club.
If people want to be cautious of buying into the new era due to still mistrusting Ashley then it’s up to them but they shouldn’t try to generate guilt in someone for deciding to have a positive outlook.
Ashley is unpredictable but he’s been around the club long enough now to know he’d be a fool to interfere with Rafa’s vision.
Average_Contents
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:22 PM
Comment #17Liking the new site layout and look on the mobile ed. Much better.
Belfast
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:29 PM
Comment #18Yeah same here new articles and comments didn’t load on the last one for me.
Belfast
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:30 PM
Comment #19Manxpie forget about Snake and upgrade your phone.
bettyswallocks
Nov 1, 2016 at 6:11 PM
Comment #20Thauvin fined for speeding. Shame he wasn’t more speedy for us.