Kevin Gallacher, who amassed over 200 combined appearances for Newcastle and Blackburn anticipates a huge crowd at Ewood Park tonight and insists that the players will need to play there part as well as the fans. “If Blackburn are going to get result, the players are going to have to do it on the grass. And if you’re doing it on the grass, the supporters on the side tend to raise and make the noise” Gallacher explains.
“Newcastle are bringing thousands of fans down. I’m expecting a lot more Blackburn fans to come to this game because it’s a Premier League side and there’s a big scalp to be taken from them. So they’ll have to be on their best and hope that they don’t make any mistakes that Newcastle can counterattack on and get the goals from it” he adds.
Blackburn forward Sammie Szmodics has been on fire this season and is currently the top scorer in both the FA Cup and Championship. “Sammie’s having a fantastic season. I think he’s got 23 goals in all competitions. He’s buzzing.
It’s probably best of his career that he’s flying. Everything he seems to do seems to hit the back of the net.” Says Gallacher.
Sammie Szmodics has 5️⃣ goals in just 2️⃣ #EmiratesFACup games this season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lXvmdQSsTv
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 1, 2024
“But we’ve just changed managers in the last six games. We’ve changed style in the last six games and in those last six games it’s kind of nullified Sammie into a different position from scoring the goals he has all season. But what it’s done for Blackburn is it’s tightened up the defence and made it a little bit more difficult for teams to score against them. Knowing that at times when they do catch teams on the break that they can score their goals as well.”
Gallacher adds how he thinks both teams should approach the game, “If Newcastle approach the game in an attacking sense then Blackburn will sit back, defend deep and try and catch him on the counterattack. Maybe rely on one or two set plays if they can get set plays in the final third to maybe get something out the game. But I think generally in the past if Blackburn sit back against the team and let the team come at them. They don’t really win games. So for me, Blackburn have to be passing the ball positively, getting forward fast and pass the ball quickly if they can. I can see them holding Newcastle for a good result tonight” he says.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has come under a lot of pressure recently with his teams form dwindling but Gallacher gives his thoughts on the situation, if he feels there should be a change and what the owners can do about it, “Eddie’s got them to what they’re doing. Their wrists are tied, their hands are tied regarding going and spending big monies of the Manchester cities and getting like that. So for me, they’re doing the best they can at the moment and at the end of the day, I think Eddie should at least see it through the end of the season and if he can get back into Europe, that would be a great achievement again.
“But it’s finding the forum and the depth and being allowed by the financial fair play to exceed a little bit so they can go and spend. Because you look at Manchester City when they were allowed to spend, they’ve just hit the top of the mountain where Newcastle thought with the new owners that we could go, we’re going to hit the top of the mountain. But financial fair players actually tied their hands and it’s made it a little bit more difficult for Eddie.”
Kick off is at 19:45pm UK time tonight with both sets of fans travelling to Blackburn in their thousands. Gallacher will be on commentary duty for BBC Radio Lancashire.
