Malcolm Macdonald has insisted that the Newcastle United team follow the example of midfielder Sean Longstaff when they take on Cardiff on Saturday.
The Magpies come into the crunch clash sitting in 18th place in the Premier League, with the Bluebirds just one point above them in 17th – and the former United ace believes that the 21-year-old “taught” his teammates a lesson when they took on Blackburn on Tuesday.
He added that he wants the rest of the team to have the same attitude as the in-form ace by having a go, as they never know if they will strike lucky.
“A young inexperienced player Sean Longstaff taught all his colleagues a lesson I hope they will remember come kick off against Cardiff City in a Premier League match which will define the second half of Newcastle United’s season,” he said in his Chronicle column.
“Within 57 seconds at Blackburn in the FA Cup their defenders backed off Longstaff – but instead of using a safety-first pass as most midfielders would, the youngster pulled the trigger. And he had his first Newcastle goal.
“As a striker, a goalscorer, I loved that. If you don’t buy a ticket you cannot win the lottery. Therefore I want them to start on the front foot at a high tempo come three o’clock today and adopt Longstaff’s attitude to having a lucky dip.”
OPINION
Longstaff was outstanding against Blackburn on Tuesday, a game which followed his impressive performance against Chelsea the previous weekend. He is really blossoming into a great player, so Macdonald is right to heap praise on him in the way that he has. The youngster is not afraid to have a go, the type of attitude we saw help him get his first goal for the club in the week. The ex-Newcastle star is right – the rest of the team do need to adopt this type of attitude if they are to succeed against Cardiff, or any other side for that matter. There is nothing wrong with having a go, and who knows, it may amount to something. Newcastle desperately need all three points against Neil Warnock’s team as it is a result that could ultimately define their fate this season – and to do that, they must follow Longstaff’s example.