Source: Daily_Mail
Newcastle and Sunderland need to feel fringe benefits of Carling Cup
Playing the top four can be good for your health or bad for your season. [LNB]The Carling Cup returns this week and for Newcastle and Sunderland it offers hope, however brief it usually is, that they can finally bring some silverware back to the North East. It's not like we haven't waited 37 years or anything. [LNB]Newcastle's quest starts on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge where Chris Hughton faces the unenviable task of taking on Chelsea reserves and kids with his own mixture of experienced and squad players looking for the chance to make an impression. [LNB] Debut: Campbell is in line to make his Newcastle bow against Chelsea[LNB]And Newcastle are not expected to win. There cannot be many Newcastle supporters who, upon seeing the draw, believed their name will be in the next round or scratched into the League Cup by the Wembley engravers next year. [LNB]Chelsea did go out to Blackburn last season of course, but that was at Ewood Park and Sam Allardyce's side still needed penalties to see off their reserve side (and a few desperate substitutions). [LNB]Chelsea on home turf, even with the second string getting a rare run-out, still represents a near Mission Impossible for a team like Newcastle. [LNB] More from Colin Young... Colin Young: Sunderland's Cattermole needs to start leading by example14/09/10 Colin Young: Campbell gives Toon boss Hughton big selection headache07/09/10 NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Titus Bramble proves his doubters wrong (for now) after summer move to Sunderland01/09/10 NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Newcastle brought back down with a bump17/08/10 NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Bruce and Hughton fear the window slamming11/08/10 NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Middlesbrough fans can get up close and personal with the players - how will they respond?03/08/10 Northern Exposure: Newcastle fans must be happier than Sunderland's27/07/10 Colin Young: A fully-fit Barton is great news for Newcastle... and England20/07/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE The dilemma for Hughton is how many changes to make himself to the starting line-up with a very impressive win at Everton under the first choice team's belts, and the small matter of Stoke City's visit to St James' Park on Sunday to consider.[LNB] Newcastle's start to the season has been better than most on Tyneside could have expected but the defeat to Blackpool hit them hard and forced Hughton to make changes for the first time for the trip to Goodison Park. [LNB]The fragility of the Newcastle squad may well be exposed by Carlo Ancelotti's champions. [LNB]With Andy Carroll, Joey Barton, Mike Williamson and Kevin Nolan all likely to be rested, or among those in contention for a night off, the Newcastle manager finds himself turning to the likes of Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands, Danny Guthrie and Alan Smith, while Sol Campbell will make his Newcastle debut, 18 years after doing so for Tottenham against the same opposition. [LNB]Chelsea have changed a great deal since then. And so have Newcastle United. [LNB]The balance of playing the first team, and bringing in players desperate for a run-out and some sort of match fitness is one also facing Sunderland boss Steve Bruce. [LNB]The Mackems have the benefit of a home tie tonight (Tuesday) against a struggling West Ham side who will be buoyed by the performance and hard-earned draw at Stoke on Saturday, their first points of the new season. [LNB]Sunderland too have been boosted by their last-gasp weekend draw with Arsenal, a thoroughly deserved result, at least on the amount of possession they enjoyed and determination shown for the entire match. [LNB] Confidence boost: Darren Bent scores Sunderland's equaliser against Arsenal[LNB]But then Bruce's side rarely have trouble raising themselves for the games against the bigger teams in this division, as they have already demonstrated with the home win over Manchester City and Saturday's 1-1 draw with the same Arsenal side which destroyed Braga in the Champions League. [LNB]It is the mundane, routine ones they struggle with, when the pressure is on them to win. Games such as West Ham at home, a fixture which opens the door to the next round to the home side. [LNB]But a trap door to the cup exit is a distinct possibility too. Sunderland have a history of messing it up in this competition. [LNB]Bruce, who is in charge for his 50th game as Sunderland boss tonight, will give a first start to record signing Asamoah Gyan and probably recall Bolo Zenden, Andy Reid and Paulo Da Silva for much-needed starts. [LNB]He will expect his side to have enough to help fulfil one of his major goals. [LNB]'We would all love win silverware,' he said yesterday. 'But it is tough because when the top teams get to quarter-finals and semi-finals they want to win the tournament and this one being seeded is possibly more difficult than the FA Cup. [LNB] Enlarge Holders: Man United lifted the Carling Cup last season after beating Aston Villa[LNB]'We have played well against the big boys which is great to see and more importantly for me when I walked through the door here I wanted to give the home fans something to shout about. [LNB]'It can only help the supporters when they see the way their team can play against teams like Arsenal. [LNB]'The name of the game is usually to survive and to try and win silverware is the next step. We have a team and if the draw is kind we have one that can compete and win five or six games. So in that respect we have a chance. [LNB]'And that has to be the aim. I said that when I walked through the door here and we will try. It would be great for the area and great for the club and why not? [LNB]'Give me winning a cup any day of the week. Everybody's different but the one thing I'd love to do is go on a cup run, it would delight and excite everyone. Knowing this area like I do it would capture the imagination of the fans. [LNB]'A Premier League team is capable of winning this cup although history tells you it's normally one of the big boys. [LNB]'We're capable of winning five or six games so we'll treat it with respect and put out a team capable of winning the match.' [LNB] Veteran defender Campbell set for Newcastle debut at Stamford Bridge Everton 0 Newcastle 1: Ben Arfa talk of the Toon as Toffees woe continuesSunderland 1 Arsenal 1: Wenger's ref rage as Bent strikes with last push [LNB]
