Toon must aim for ‘complete performance’
NEWCASTLE United should be looking to achieve the level of performance and dominance shown in last season’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth, in the final games of the 2020-21 campaign.
The Magpies came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 and took a huge step towards safety - showing that with Allan Saint-Maximin in the starting eleven, they do carry a threat.
Chronicle chief sports writer Lee Ryder was down at Turf Moor to take in the game, and believes that Newcastle now need to aim for a ‘complete performance.’
“It’s just going to be nice when they eventually do get that complete performance,” he told The Everything is Black and White Podcast. “They had that last season away at Bournemouth, they won 4-1 and that was a complete performance.
“That is what they should be striving towards - if they can get a couple more wins then they are going to be safe and it’s then about how near to the points tally of last season can they get?”
Given the drama that has followed the Magpies around this season - and the horrendous run of form the team are still trying to break free from - Ryder reckons if safety can be achieved, Bruce will look at the campaign as ‘decent.’
“For Steve Bruce, he’ll be thinking it’s a decent season - staving off relegation, managed to overcome the problems with Covid - that’s how he might be looking at it, they’ve got through a very tough spell.
“At times it hasn’t been good enough but against Burnley, you had to give credit where it’s due not only have they got the win but they’ve shown the character to come from behind and I think you had to give them full marks for that.”
It looked like Newcastle were going to fall to yet another defeat when Matej Vydra opened the scoring up early in the first half.
But the introduction of SaintMaximin turned the game and Burnley were shellshocked in the end.