Team news, analysis, past encounters, match officials. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Brentford’s meeting with Newcastle United.
We make the long trip to the North East this weekend to take on Newcastle at St James’ Park.
The Magpies have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign and head into the game just two points off the European spots.
The Opposition
Newcastle United
It was a year ago today that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took over at Newcastle United and they are a club transformed under their new owners and head coach, Eddie Howe.
Following his appointment in November, Howe guided the club to an 11th-place finish after a run of 12 wins in their final 18 games, becoming the only team in Premier League history to avoid relegation after failing to win any of their first 14 games.
And they have carried that form into this season; the Magpies have lost just one of their opening nine games in all competitions, that coming away at Liverpool, to head into tomorrow’s game seventh in the table.
They are unbeaten in their four home games so far, including holding Manchester City to a 3-3 draw in August, and arrive fresh from a 4-1 win away at ten-man Fulham last weekend.
Given their status as the world’s richest football club, Newcastle were active without being excessive in the summer transfer window. Matt Targett, Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak were the major arrivals as Howe looked to add depth to the squad at St James’ Park.
Last season, the Magpies averaged less than 40 per cent possession per game but this season that figure is a shade under 53 per cent as they look to control the game more under Howe.
Only Liverpool and Arsenal have averaged more shots per game at home than United (19.5) this term, however, they have only turned that into six goals so far.
Summer arrival Isak netted twice in his first three outings before picking up an injury on international duty. Fortunately for the Magpies, his absence has been offset by the return of Callum Wilson, who scored in his comeback game at Fulham last weekend.
The Gameplan
With The Athletic’s Chris Waugh
The Athletic’s Chris Waugh looks at how Newcastle have changed under Eddie Howe in Hot off the Press: “Since they returned to the Premier League, Newcastle have been a low-block side who defend deep and then counter-attack, but Howe has tried to shift them to press higher, have more possession and play with more intensity – and basically all attacking metrics are up and all the main metrics have improved.”
Team News
Thomas Frank's pre-match press conference
Thomas Frank passed Ethan Pinnock (knee) and Sergi Canós (hamstring) fit on Thursday, meaning the pair could be in line for their first action of the season tomorrow.
Skipper Pontus Jansson (hamstring) will miss out as will Keane Lewis-Potter (foot), Christian Nørgaard and Charlie Goode (both knee).
For Newcastle, Alexander Isak remains out with a lower leg injury, as do Emil Krafth (knee) and Karl Darlow (ankle), but Eddie Howe was able to welcome back Callum Wilson and Elliot Anderson for last weekend’s win at Fulham. Jonjo Shelvey (calf) and Allan Saint-Maximin (hamstring) have trained this week and might return to the squad tomorrow while Joelinton has overcome his knee issue.
The Boss
Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe is closing in on a year in charge at Newcastle United with the Magpies going from strength to strength under the 44-year-old.
Howe made his name with AFC Bournemouth, spending more than two decades on the South Coast as a player and then head coach.
He played 300 games for the Cherries, either side of a brief spell with Portsmouth, before retiring due to injury in 2007.
By then he’d already started coaching the Bournemouth reserve team. He was hired as a youth coach before taking over as caretaker manager at the end of the year.
In January 2009, Howe was awarded the permanent job, leading Bournemouth to Sky Bet League Two safety despite a 17-point deficit.
The Cherries earned promotion the following season before he made the move to Championship team Burnley in January 2011. Howe guided the Clarets to eighth and 13th before returning to AFC Bournemouth in October 2012.
Howe achieved automatic promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2012/13 campaign before claiming the second tier title two years later, lifting the South Coast side into the Premier League for the first time in their history.
He kept Bournemouth in the top flight for five years but left the club by mutual consent in August 2020, following their relegation to the Championship.
Opposition View
Eddie Howe spoke to nufc.co.uk about facing Brentford: “They’ve been very good. Watching in the Championship for a few years they looked a very strong team and they haven’t deviated from their plan. They are a very effective team and very difficult to play against. Thomas Frank is an innovator and continues to do a very good job there. They ask very difficult questions of every team they play against.”
Last time at St. James’ Park
Newcastle United 3 Brentford 3
Former Magpie Ivan Toney on target in six-goal thriller.
Match Officials
Referee: John Brooks
Assistants: Ian Hussin and Matthew Wilkes
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
Tomorrow's game will be John Brooks' 12th in charge of the Bees, with us only tasting defeat in one of those previous fixtures.
The Leicestershire and Rutland official started in the Leicestershire local leagues in the mid-2000s before moving up the ranks.
He ran the line at Wembley for the 2014 Sky Bet Championship Play-Off final, the same year he began refereeing in the National League. Two years later, in August 2016, Brooks took charge of his first EFL games.
His maiden second tier game was in December 2017 with his second Championship assignment seeing us take three points in the North East against Sunderland the following February.
Brooks took charge of four games during our 2020/21 promotion-winning campaign, Thomas Frank’s side winning three of those. His first Brentford assignment in the Premier League came in August as we drew 1-1 at home to Everton.
In his three Premier League games so far this season, Brooks has shown 16 yellow cards, the highest average per game of top flight officials (5.33).
Newcastle United 22/23
89 fouls – third-most in Premier League
14 yellow cards – 12th in Premier League
0 red cards – joint-fewest in Premier League