Garth Crooks has lavished praise on Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar for his match winning turn in the Magpies’ 3-0 victory over Cardiff City.
The Austrian, 27, scored twice and produced a vital challenge at the other end to help lift his team out of the drop zone with a much needed there points against their relegation zone.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Crooks said: “I have to go back to the days of Philippe Albert for a performance like this from a Newcastle defender. I’m not saying he’s in that class but Fabian Schar did have a magnificent game.
“The Swiss international scored one of the best individual goals I’ve seen from a central defender in years, along with a match-winning intervention if ever I saw one.
“Can Newcastle survive this season? Yes, but not without Rafa Benitez.”
OPINION
Schar was phenomenal against Cardiff City, and his first goal in particular will live long in the memory of the St. James’ Park faithful. His composure and calmness under that kind of pressure was admirable, and he put many of the club’s forwards to shame with his finish. For large parts of this season, the Toon Army have lacked a real leader on the pitch, but on Saturday, the Austrian took his side by the scruff of the neck and dragged them to a potentially crucial three points against the Bluebirds. Only time will tell if this is the first step towards securing survival for Rafa Benitez’s side, but if Schar can put in this level of performance week after week, and if he can get others around him to follow his example, then they should have no problems with avoiding the drop. Newcastle fans will just be hoping that it wasn’t some kind of fluke.