Interviews

Potter: We know how tough Newcastle will be

Head coach looking forward to welcoming a familiar face at the Amex today.

By Bruce Talbot • 13 August 2022

By Paul Hazlewood
Graham Potter is full of praise for the work Eddie Howe has done since taking over at Newcastle.

Graham Potter says he has no worries about his players’ mindset ahead of today’s Amex showdown with Newcastle United.

Albion got plenty of praise for their opening-weekend win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But the players are well aware of the threats posed by Newcastle, who opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The head coach said, “I would say Newcastle as a team are as equipped as anybody to challenge the top six in the league because of the individuals they have, the organisation [manager] Eddie [Howe] has brought and the momentum the club's got.

“Most people live in the real world, not under a rock somewhere,” said Potter. “They know how good Newcastle are and they know the job that Eddie [Howe] has done. They know the physicality that they provide.

“If you talk about momentum and positive thinking I would say there's a huge difference between Newcastle and Manchester United at the moment so we have to deal with that as well. 

By Paul Hazlewood
Dan Burn returns to the Amex today.

“The boys are humble, they're respectful and they're intelligent, so they know that this is a tough game.”

Newcastle’s line-up is likely to include Dan Burn, who returned to his boyhood club in January after making 76 Premier League appearances for Albion. He made his 100th appearance in the competition in the win over Forest last Saturday.

“Fans of this club are fair, they understand that Dan gave his best every single week, whether he was good, bad or indifferent and I hope he will get a good reception,” added Potter.

“In my time he contributed to what we achieved. He’s a top person and a top player and of course we wish him well, but we hope he doesn’t have a particularly nice day here on Saturday!”