The Media Review: Newcastle United

There may come a time when a home match against Newcastle United ranks up there as an occasion along with visits from Liverpool, Chelsea or the Manchester clubs. In a season or two, the team with the richest owners in the world may arrive at the Amex bristling with world-class performers and some of the biggest names in the game. 

And the personnel in the press box may well reflect that, the biggest names in sports writing following the Mags around just as those other big hitters attract their own media entourages. But it has not happened quite yet. Only The Sun despatched one of its heavyweights, Dave Kidd, to the Amex on Saturday evening. 

As chief sports writer on a national paper, Kiddo is hardly an Amex regular, but he has clearly seen enough of Graham Potter’s men to recognise a pattern. “Brighton were the better team for the majority of this match but they could only manage a controversial Leandro Trossard penalty and were made to pay for their inability to turn dominance into clear-cut chances,” he wrote.

“Graham Potter - who is what Howe was a few years ago, the next big thing in English football management - has done a fine job on the south coast but there have been too many matches like this when Brighton have lacked the killer touch.

“Adam Lallana was making things tick in the Brighton midfield and the superior teamwork of Potter’s men was beginning to show.

“Potter sent on Alexis Mac Allister in place of Enock Mwepu at the break and Lallana was soon releasing Trossard for a shot which was saved at the near post by Darlow.

“Then the best move of the match - an Ederson-esque pass from Brighton keeper Sanchez, a gorgeous take-down from Cucurella and Trossard cutting back for Lallana to shoot narrowly wide.

“But Brighton failed to capitalise on their dominance and, pretty much out of the blue, Newcastle were level midway through the second half.”

In the Sunday Telegraph, Jim White quoted Newcastle caretaker Graeme Jones praising “a brilliant Brighton team,” and wrote that “midway through the first half, the home crowd were greeting each of a series of uncontested passes with a delighted ‘ole’. 46 passes Brighton completed in just two minutes. As they did so, Newcastle seemed happy to watch, their players sitting so deep it was as if they were auditioning for the second series of Vigil. ‘Attack, attack’ was the forlorn cry from the visiting supporters. But nothing came. 

“The fact was, from the kick-off, Brighton were quicker, sharper, more alert. Adam Lallana and Yves Bissouma bossed the midfield, while Tariq Lamptey was a constant threat on the right. It seemed inevitable a goal would come. And not for Newcastle. So it was, after 24 minutes, in a scramble following a Brighton corner not being properly cleared, Leandro Trossard went down when trying to round Ciaran Clark. The referee David Coote didn’t see any contact. But Var suggested he take a look at his screen. He decided there had been a trip. Trossard took the ensuing penalty, shooting over the diving Karl Darlow.”

Ed Aarons, writing in The Observer, offered the opinion that “in many ways Brighton are a case from which Newcastle’s new owners could take inspiration. The Seasiders are shrewd operators off the pitch and mostly slick on it. Calmly and methodically, Graham Potter has made them difficult to beat and enjoyable to watch, which is why the mood music around the Amex Stadium since his arrival two and a half years ago has generally been the exact opposite of the bellyaching that has accompanied most matches at St James’ Park during that time.

“For all that, Brighton fans have not become strangers to frustration and here they groaned as the home team wasted a stack of chances, wound up with only 10 men, and ended with a centre-back playing as goalkeeper as they clung on for a draw.

“Newcastle pressed with intensity. But it takes a lot to disrupt Brighton’s smooth passing game and the hosts enjoyed far more possession.

“They also enjoyed having Tariq Lamptey back. Restored to the starting lineup for a league match for the first time since being injured 11 months ago, the wing-back showed he has lost none of his zip, quickly creating Brighton’s first chance with a run and cross that Trossard headed into the arms of Karl Darlow.

“Early in the second half Darlow kicked away a shot by Trossard after elegant work by Joël Veltman and Lamptey. Then Marc Cucurella headed wide after a cross by Trossard, who, soon afterwards, curled a shot wide from 20 yards.

“Each chance showed Brighton’s superiority but each miss stoked Newcastle’s belief that parity could be restored if they could put together a cutting attack.”

And so it proved. James Gheerbrant probably spoke for many Albion fans when he wrote in the Sunday Times that “this was as a slightly infuriating performance from Brighton, who would have gone fifth with a win against palpably inferior opponents. All their energy and conviction dissipated after Newcastle’s equaliser, and Graham Potter’s side remain an accomplished but oddly absent-minded team who are still better at dominating games than winning them. 

“Lamptey was far too good for Newcastle on the right, moving Matt Ritchie this way and that as if by mind control. Sanchez, strafing absurd passes out to the wing, indirectly set up a chance for Adam Lallana, who side-footed wide. But then the hosts dropped their intensity and were punished.” 

In the Mail On Sunday, George Bond echoed the sentiments of the other writers: “Brighton had been by far the dominant side up until Matt Ritchie found space down the left and floated a cross to the far post. There, Ciaran Clark knocked the ball down and Hayden turned and fired past Robert Sanchez to the delight of the 3,100-strong travelling support.

“As for Brighton, it is now no wins in six since they had the chance to go top of the Premier League at Crystal Palace in late September, and back to the bad old days of last season with much promise and not enough to show for it on the scoresheet.

“Their inability to make good on their first-half dominance betrayed fine performances from Trossard up front and Marc Cucurella and Tariq Lamptey out wide, as well as damaging the progress made in the previous weekend’s 2-2 draw at Anfield. They still sit sixth, but it should probably have been far better for Graham Potter’s side.”