But, although Alan Pardew believes Newcastle United’s defence will be stronger for the return of Mike Williamson, he still has a word of praise for Perch.
Alan Pardew: “With all due respect to Perchie, because he’s done great, Williamson’s a round peg in a round hole.
“He’s a centre-half, that’s his position, and he made a big difference to us.
"There’s been a lot of criticism about our results, but we haven’t had two centre-halves out there.
“Perch is a midfield player or full-back. He’s brilliant in terms of that, but centre-half is a tough call. Willo came out, and we looked a lot more solid.
"Williamson had played just 45 minutes of reserve football, and it was a dilemma.
“When were we going to put him in? He’s only had one reserve game. It was about putting him in and protecting him, which we did.
“The full-backs stayed at home a little bit more, and that helped him.”
Source: FOOTYMAD
