Source: Northern_Echo
Strength of squad impresses Smith
ALAN Smith claims Wednesday's thrilling Carling Cup win at Chelsea proves Newcastle have two first teams, each equally capable of taking on the best that English football has to offer.[LNB] Despite resting a host of senior players, Chris Hughton was able to watch his so-called second string dispose of a Chelsea side that, while not quite a full strength itself, contained a number of seasoned internationals such as John Terry, Yossi Benayoun, Yuri Zhirkov and Nicolas Anelka.[LNB] Four days earlier, a Newcastle team containing ten different players proved too strong for Everton as they recorded a notable 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.[LNB] At the start of the season, fears were expressed about the shallowness of a Magpies squad that was still playing Championship football as recently as May.[LNB] But with Wednesday's win having underlined the range of options available to Hughton as he ponders his side for Sunday's home game with Stoke, Smith has hailed the depth of quality that could well result in a number of players, including himself, returning to the bench for the visit of the Potters.[LNB] There's a lot of lads in this squad desperate to take whatever chance they get, said Smith, who dropped out of Newcastle's Premier League line up for the first team this season last weekend. It's almost like we've got two first teams, and you'd hope that's the attitude everybody adopts.[LNB] Fair play to the gaffer, it would have been easy to have seen Chelsea in the draw and hardly made any changes at all to the team that won at Everton.[LNB] But he knows the depth of ability he's got and he wasn't worried about giving some of the other lads a chance.[LNB] He showed his faith in a lot of the younger lads, and that faith paid off. There were experienced players as well though, and when you've got someone like Sol (Campbell) waiting in the wings wanting a chance to get into the team, you know you've got a half-decent squad.[LNB] We've got a good unit and a good set of lads, and all the lads that didn't play at Chelsea were willing us on. That's what you need.[LNB] With Newcastle currently sitting pretty in sixth position in the Premier League, Wednesday's victory secured a place in the fourth round of the Carling Cup for the first time in four years.[LNB] Save for the temporary disappointment of a home defeat to Blackpool, the opening six weeks of the season have gone better than almost anyone could have expected.[LNB] The challenge now is to maintain that momentum through a tricky set of fixtures that will see Newcastle travel to Champions League hopefuls Manchester City after hosting Stoke this weekend, and while Smith is justifiably satisfied with his club's start, he was quick to sound a note of caution in the wake of this week's success.[LNB] If someone had offered us this start to the season, we would probably have taken it,[LNB] said the midfielder. We wouldn't have took the Blackpool result of course, but hopefully that will prove just to have been a one off.[LNB] When you play well, you have to make the most of it, and thankfully we were able to do that at Chelsea and Everton.[LNB] But those games are done.[LNB] They were good wins but the most important thing now is Sunday against Stoke. That's a massive game. Confidence is high, and hopefully we can kick on and get another three points in the Premier League, which is our main aim.[LNB] The mood was certainly buoyant as Newcastle's players filed out of the away dressing room at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, with the 4- 3 win having secured the club's first win at Chelsea for 24 years.[LNB] We could have had a couple more goals to be honest, said Smith.[LNB] We scored four, but we had a couple more great chances in the second half which, on another night, might well have gone in. It would have been Shola's (Ameobi) hat-trick if his other shot had gone in, and he probably deserved that on the night.[LNB] We're just proud of the way we played. Even if we hadn't got the win in the end, I still think the performance would have been a massive positive.[LNB] The lads worked so hard, and it's up to the whole of the squad now to make sure we get a result on Sunday.[LNB] Harper faces 12 weeks out NEWCASTLE expect Steve Harper to be out of action for around 12 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery.[LNB] The 35-year-old sustained the injury in Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Everton in a first-half incident involving Toffees striker Jermaine Beckford.[LNB] A Newcastle spokesman said last night: Following a shoulder ligament injury sustained in United's game against Everton last Saturday, Steve Harper has undergone a successful operation which took place yesterday.[LNB] It means the player is unlikely to figure for Newcastle's first team again until the middle of December and is likely to mean an extended run in the side for Tim Krul.[LNB]
