In further preparation for the upcoming match we've joined forces with Kevin McCauley from Cartilage Free Captain in a classic question trade post. Follow us past the jump to see what Kevin had to say about Saturday's match vs. Tottenham Hotspur. You can check out our half of the team up here.
How lucky do you feel that you won't have to face the physicality and midfield control of Cheik Tiote?
CFCaptain: He's a great player, but I'm curious as to what adjustments Pardew will make. Will he shove a square peg into a round hole and try to play the same way, or will he throw another striker into the game and ask Kevin Nolan to be more of a two-way player? I think that Newcastle could be a very dangerous team if Andy Carroll and Nile Ranger were given a chance to play as a starting partnership. Unfortunately, there is no Andy Carroll this week, so who knows. But yeah, I am happy that a guy who should have been sent off three times the last time we met won't be on the pitch.
A month ago we ended up 2-0. Do Spurs expect the same kind of result? Do you expect it to come as easily as it seemed to last time?
CFCaptain: I do expect a Spurs win, but no, I don't expect it to be quite as easy. Newcastle really under-performed in that game. However, it wouldn't be shocking if they came out flat as a result of that Sunderland equalizer last week. Also, Carroll's injury is a huge loss. Now that I've thought about this...yeah, it should be about the same deal as the last game. We're Spurs, though, we can find ways to screw it up.
Let's call this one "hard hitting." Does Gareth Bale's actual on field play justify the shower of hype he recieves from national media?
CFCaptain: It hasn't in the last few games, but dude is tired. Even Ronaldo and Messi have occasional stinkers. He's not on their level and he probably never will be, but he's still the best left-sided player in England. That was the long answer. The short answer is: Usually, but not always.
How excited are you to see Steven Pienaar premier? What does he bring to the table that Tottenham didn't have before?
CFCaptain: Meh. He's a body. He's a slightly quicker, higher paid version of Niko Krancjar. I'm not terribly excited. He'll provide us with some decent depth but he has zero chance of displacing Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon, or Luka Modric.
We're hoping that with Andy Carroll out, Tottenham will underestimate our other striking options. Is this a risk or are the Lillywhites too careful for that kind of thing?
CFCaptain: Remember the Young Boys game? I bet Harry made Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong run laps until they threw up. The chances of Spurs underestimating anyone again this year are zero, thanks to that embarrassing half of football.