With Steve Bruce having limited funds to work with in the transfer market, this upcoming campaign could come down to the play of our two difference-makers – Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.
Bruce has stuck with the 5-3-2 system he deployed down the stretch last season in all four of our pre-season matches. When everyone is fit, it’ll be Saint-Maximin and Wilson as the front two. However, getting them on the pitch together has proven a difficult task once again this summer.
The duo started 8 of the first 9 league matches last season, albeit in a different formation. However, Saint-Maximin’s struggles with the after-effects of Covid along with Wilson’s two hamstring injuries in the season’s second half made having them on the pitch together a rare sight.
That has bled over into this summer with Allan being ill and missing the last two matches. Wilson missed Friday’s win at Burton Albion with yet another hamstring problem. Bruce’s preferred strike force has only started one pre-season friendly together – the win at Doncaster just over a week ago.
Alan Shearer has written an expansive piece for The Athletic based on a recent chat with Callum Wilson. One of the topics discussed was Wilson’s partnership with Saint-Maximin.
Wilson has given an inside look at the relationship of our two biggest attacking threats. He revealed that Allan returned this pre-season hungry and focused to build on the successes of his first two seasons on Tyneside.
A place in the French squad for the upcoming World Cup is squarely in the Frenchman’s sights. Wilson is also hoping to force his way back into Gareth Southgate’s plans for England. The two forwards could be primed for a massive season which would be more than welcomed by a beleaguered Toon fanbase.
This is what Wilson told Shearer about his relationship with Saint-Maximin:
“In training, I say to him, ‘Listen, you would be so much better if you do your skills and then do the simple thing and sometimes you don’t even need to do skills because you’re so quick and powerful. Just go and pass it simple’,” he says. “He’ll take on a player, take him on again and take him on again and I’ll be, ‘Look, you can do that, but can you do the other side? Because that’s what’s going to take you from Newcastle to the France World Cup squad’.
“I’ve told him, ‘I’ll be in the right positions to make sure you get your assists and you can do the same for me’. He drags so many people away, then he turns with the ball, and then it’s ‘Right, can you find me now?’. Unfortunately, he has an illness, but the more we play together, the more we’ll do that. After the Burnley game last year, I said to him, ‘That was unbelievable, you can be a world-beater like that, so do it more often’.
“This year, if we both say fit, we can build on that. The manager wants to play him as a No 10 which is perfect for me. I don’t want to drop in because I’m going the opposite way to goal. He wants to drop in because he’s a bit lazy and doesn’t want to run in behind! I’ve said, ‘I’ll do your running, I’ll backtrack on your midfielders, just turn and pass when you get an opportunity’. That’s all I want. Put him in the middle and he can make slick passes and get shots off.”
Hopefully, the two forwards can continue to click up front and remain fit. Newcastle need to get off to a quick start this season despite the struggles this summer. The schedule is brutal in the final two months. So getting Callum and Allan firing early on could be crucial.
72 comments so far
RonVanDam
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:42 PM
Comment #1It looks like Arsenal is the only club we can raid of fringe or unwanted players if we had a decent kitty.
Willock, Maitland-Niles and Lacazette would be my preference
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:44 PM
Comment #2I’m given up reading transfer rumours, seems a tad pointless!
Romford mag
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:45 PM
Comment #3Bill
Agree mate !
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:47 PM
Comment #4My one point of optimism for the season is the Jones influence, the Steve ‘Collective’ do not inspire at all!
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:49 PM
Comment #5At least the posh sport is given us something to cheer about! 🙂
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:54 PM
Comment #6I know we can’t do polls or anything, but just out of curiosity is there anyone who is genuinely feeling positive about this season?
Bills Son Is Back
Aug 2, 2021 at 12:58 PM
Comment #7Wilson seems to be strong minded and has definite leadership qualities, I think he’s a s big an influence on and off the pitch as he is a goalscorer.
Fraser has plenty to say for himself as well and both he and Wilson have that ‘edge’ to their game that Shearer had in abundance – if they can get some of the edge into Jo’s game he’d be the better player for it.
Bills Son Is Back
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:02 PM
Comment #8Adamn
ASM, Wilson, Fraser, Miggy & Murphy fit and on form will be a handful for most teams.
Those 5 hardly played together last season if we get Willock and another DM back up or step up for Hayden then I think we can do far better than many expect.
I’m far more positive about this season than I was last.
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:05 PM
Comment #9Bills
Well can’t fault your optimism! Hopefully those 5 can stay fit although or injury record suggests that’s unlikely, with Bruces record and handling of injuries too. If they can all be on the pitch for an extended run though, then i’m sure they can cause issues. Willock looks more and more unlikely sadly, it really depends on who (if anybody) we bring in before the window shuts. If it’s really lackluster or nobody at all, it could be quite demoralising to the team to see us showing no ambition in the market. A lot will depends on injuries and if Jones is allowed to have a strong influence with Bruce and the other Steves following his lead.
Jail for Ashley
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:08 PM
Comment #10Vask,
I can’t seem to see you in Ed’s league, I haven’t sent out the codes for the H2H so just e mail Neil with an e mail he can reach you on for the H2H code. You really must include your blog username in your team name or user name. I honestly don’t know how people are expecting me to match up random team or usernames to names on a blog. Last year we ended up with lots of names we didn’t recognise and we’re trying to avoid that this year.
Bills Son Is Back
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:09 PM
Comment #11Adamn
So, in short….
Your not positive.
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:10 PM
Comment #12Bills
So, in short….
You are positive.
JohnJ
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:12 PM
Comment #13Jail
If you are around?
I’m trying to set up my FFL team and entering the code iaemqa but I’m being told that is invalid.
Any assistance appreciated 🙂
Zhongguo Geordie
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:14 PM
Comment #14Our best hope comes from Jones improving our players, tactics, and attacking team work as he did last season. It could just be down to a bounce or morale boost due to Jones arrival. I guess we will find out. I really expect Longstaff to benefit most from elite level training. I think Lewis and Joelinton could improve too, but all three were quite poor by Premier League standards last year.
Aces-of-Eights
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:17 PM
Comment #15Johnj that code word is for Jail only 😉
Bills Son Is Back
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:17 PM
Comment #16Bruce can’t win…
If we do well it’ll be down to Jones…
If we do bad it’ll be down to Bruce.
Just like last season…
Three days after he arrived he got the credit for the win at Everton…
But Bruce got all the stick for the Brighton loss.
I’m no fan of Bruce’s but the guy can’t win.
Simple as.
Aces-of-Eights
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:18 PM
Comment #17Read it as a word and see what it says lol
Bills Son Is Back
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:18 PM
Comment #18Adamn
Yes.
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:19 PM
Comment #19Bills
Didn’t you know this place is one half a Newcastle United blog and another a dramatic acting class 😉
Jail for Ashley
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:22 PM
Comment #20John J,
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/join/private
iaemqa
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:24 PM
Comment #21Mund
Give the dramatic comments a rest, you completely lost it over a poem on an online football blog. The fact you try to accuse others of being dramatic is embarrassing.
Bills
I could be wrong but I think it’s because the performance against Everton was night and day compared to previous games. Whereas Brighton felt like a return to normal and there was speculation Jones had been given a back seat after getting the glory for the Everton win. Whether that’s true or not who knows but I think that was the talk at the time.
ilovetoon8788
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:25 PM
Comment #22forget willock. he’s not coming. bruce & ashley just using him to string us along.
collectively our squad with no addition is worse off than last season. willock goals single handedly kept us up.
anyone feeling positive is a troll.
Zhongguo Geordie
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:26 PM
Comment #23Bills we had all those players last season, after a year of them being a bit injury prone and a year older, why are you more optimistic than you were at the start of last season? Also at the start of last season we had Hendrick and Lewis who most had high hopes for, yourself included. I’d say hopes must have dropped for both after poor season. Unless I’m missing something nobody has improved significantly since the start of last season, although Murphy has seemingly come through. Are your increased hopes since last season purely down to the Jones effect?
Jail for Ashley
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:32 PM
Comment #24The players clearly wanted Bruce sacked against Brighton and obviously thought that Jones would have been made head coach.
Zhongguo Geordie
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:33 PM
Comment #25We also reverted to a flat back 5 or 4 in the Brighton came and the few before it, which was pretty much standard Bruce. Before Kick Off at Spurs it was obvious we’d gone back to very attacking wingbacks and a similar formation to Jones’, only with an extra defender. One prefers hyper attacking tactics, with high press, wingbacks playing as wingers, and pass and move. The other prefers hyper defensive, flat back five, low block, get it up the pitch. You can tell which is which just by looking at the fullbacks on the team sheet before kick-off. Dummet and Krath fullbacks is Bruce. Ritchie and Murphy is Jones.
The Ledge
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:38 PM
Comment #26Common sense will tell you what to expect this year you just have to look at the last two seasons to know what we are in for.
We should survive but imo we will be looking over our shoulder for majority of the season.
We will get the odd decent performance where some will hail Jones as the next messiah just another season under Ashley and Brucie that’s about as optimistic as you can get.
JohnJ
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:38 PM
Comment #27ASM & Wilson are fantastic players!
Sadly they both seem injury prone so we really need them to stay fit.
I do wonder about ASM and hope he’s not turning into another Ben Arfa who was also fantastic (when he wanted to be)….. but sadly lacking in application.
geordietom
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:39 PM
Comment #28https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-united-transfer-news-tuanzebe-21203534
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:41 PM
Comment #29We could have the bonus of ASM wanting to force his way into the French World Cup squad I suppose, as Wilson hinted at a bit in that interview. So maybe he’ll be giving it everything this season to be included.
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:47 PM
Comment #30Who’s embarrassed? You? Me? 😆
You are full of shit vegan.
You talk about things that should or shouldn’t be said on here and the fact some stuff have actually upset you. The poem had innuendos towards children that’s why I lost it. Is that something you would want to read?
Pack of wet wipes as nobody would dare say that kind of stuff in the real world to peoples faces. This is what people talk about with others online who have a kind of free reign that should be stopped.
As long as the dramatics continue I’ll highlight it, is funny you responded tho
Zhongguo Geordie
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:48 PM
Comment #31Nothing wrong with being positive, we have some good players. We have great keepers and a defence that have previously proved themselves. Our attack is top ten quality although ageing a little. But we have very bad infrastructure and a woeful boss.
What I’d like to know is that for the optimistic people, where would they rank the feeling now comared to all the other premiership years since 2000?
I was fairly positive under McLaren due to the millions he spent and the talent he had. Pardew kept getting worse but I can’t remember thinking we’d be relegation contenders. We generally always had youngish squads under Ashley which gives you that bit extra optimism that one will turn into a star. Not so much now.
I’d rank this the last optimistic premier season since it started. Thats not being dramatic. Of course Willock/ Armstrong would possibly fix that.
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM
Comment #32Go back to ignoring you irrelevant wet lettuce
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:52 PM
Comment #33Nobody, I said embarrassing as in the idea of you calling people dramatic is embarrassing.
If in doubt go back to the vegan calling, genius. That poem was nowhere near as bad as you made out and a good few posters took it for what it was,a joke that we would have no issue with even if it was aimed towards us. But you completely blew up over it and threatened physical violence. Yet others are dramatic?
I responded as it’s a few times you’ve mentioned people being dramatic on here and it’s completely hypocritical coming from you. Also the blog has been fine all day, then you had a little tongue in cheek snidey comment towards some posters calling them dramatic. It’s stuff like that that starts back and forths and some drama. Like it has done now with this so i’ll stop here.
kimbo
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:54 PM
Comment #34Paying £5M loan fee for Tuanzebe would be a waste of money plus would hinder Kel Watts progress. If we sell Kieran Clark for £5M then it could work.
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:57 PM
Comment #35What a crock of shit 😆
Carry on picking and choosing what’s right and what’s wrong so you can fit in 😉
You cover every bit of the fence just to suit others. You have an opinion but if someone calls you out on it you quickly change 🙄
You talk about a back and forth but you commented on it and that would of got a reply and if you didn’t do that there wouldn’t be no back and forth 😆 ffs man
This has got foot all to do with you carry on being miserable it’s all good
Adamn_92
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:58 PM
Comment #36Bit dramatic
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:58 PM
Comment #37Go back to when you were telling ST goers what to do when you haven’t been in your life
Mund
Aug 2, 2021 at 1:59 PM
Comment #38😆 I’ll never be as dramatic as you fella
Every day on and on…
The Ledge
Aug 2, 2021 at 2:00 PM
Comment #39I agree Kimbo a waste of money and if it is true we are in for Kamara who can play in Defence and Midfield it makes no sense at all .
Jail for Ashley
Aug 2, 2021 at 2:01 PM
Comment #40https://youtu.be/SsmVgoXDq2w