Newcastle United will be relieved to see the news that Kevin Friend will be taking charge of their Premier League game tonight.
Having become one of the more in-form teams in the league and gone on an eight-game unbeaten run under Eddie Howe, Newcastle have given themselves a great chance of staying in the league.
They are getting ready to take on a Southampton side who are also on a good run, with just two losses in their last eight games, so it is a tough game to call on paper and one that could end up being left in the hands of the referees.
As we know, referees and their decisions on the day can greatly influence how a game goes – how strict they are with fouls, how leniently they are with grappling in the box and whether they deem incidents to be handball or not.
It’s been announced that Kevin Friend will be in charge of the game, flanked by Simon Beck and Eddie Smart, with Andre Marriner in charge of VAR, and the stats show that Newcastle should be looking forward to the game:
What do the stats say?
Friend has been rather lenient when it comes to giving out cards so far this season, with the Premier League website noting that in his 11 games in the league, he has handed out just 53 yellow cards along with the lone red card.
On top of that, when he is in charge of the Toon, things have gone rather well for them, with Transfermarkt’s stats showing that he has taken charge of them 27 times throughout his career, only brandishing 42 yellow cards to Newcastle United players – under two per game – while he’s only sent off one player and given them three penalties.
Their record when he’s been in charge has been 13 wins, 5 draws and 9 losses, including a spell when they won 9 in a row with him in the middle, meaning the odds are could be in their favour.
Are Newcastle United all but safe now?
Should Be
Not Yet
TIF Verdict…
The stats certainly do look as if Newcastle don’t really have a lot to worry about down at St. Mary’s tonight, you just have to hope that they don’t do anything stupid along the way that could ruin their good form.
With 60 yellow cards and two red cards to their name so far this season (via Transfermarkt), Newcastle are certainly one of the rougher teams in the league, but hopefully that won’t be a problem for them, because the last thing they need is for any key players to be suspended for the crucial games coming up between now and the end of the season.
In other news: ‘Hope it’s correct’ – Liam Kennedy excited as ‘strong’ Newcastle report emerges