In November, Paul Merson not only stated that “fan’s won’t be happy” with the appointment of Eddie Howe, but said we’d be relegated if we failed to beat Brentford in his first game in charge – which we didn’t.
He wasn’t sold on our January signings either, feeling we’d taken a risk bringing in a player without Premier League experience in Bruno Guimaraes and stating that there’d be “uproar” within the fanbase had Steve Bruce brought in the likes of Burn, Targett and Wood.
Fast forward to the present day, it’d be an understatement to say he’s changed his tune!
After saying Guimaraes “looks a player” last weekend, he’s adamant we’ll pull off another win when Brighton come to town tomorrow, believing we’ll be “utterly and completely safe” should we do so.
As for Howe, he feels the NUFC boss has not only done a good job, but will be backed this summer by the Saudi PIF as a result; making a mockery of claims he was the wrong man at the time of his appointment.
Here’s what he’s had to say during his latest prediction piece for Sportskeeda:
If you looked at Newcastle United’s fixtures four weeks ago, you’d have identified the game against Brighton as one of their hardest games, but now it looks like the easiest one on paper.
Brighton have hit a bit of a brick wall in recent weeks, while the Magpies are on a roll and could be utterly and completely safe if they get three more points on the board.
As I said earlier, I wouldn’t have fancied them for even a point a month ago, but now, I can’t see Newcastle not winning this game.
The crowd will be right behind them, which is always the case at St. James’ Park, so I expect them to get maximum points in front of their own fans.
Eddie Howe has done a great job since taking charge – I think he’ll be kept at the club and backed adequately this summer once again after an impressive haul in the January transfer window.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Brighton
Everything Merson says here is true – we come into this on a high against a Brighton side who are suddenly struggling – however they also highlight just how wrong he’s got it in recent months.
Had Merson’s initial predictions been correct, we’d be already relegated, unhappy with Howe and our January signings, yet our reality is the very opposite after a run of seven games unbeaten.
Based on his history, let’s hope him backing us to beat Brighton on Saturday isn’t a pre-match curse from the Sky Sports pundit!
