Source: Northern_Echo
Chopra backs Bluebirds to end Magpies run
MICHAEL CHOPRA believes Cardiff City are playing a more attractive brand of football than Newcastle this season and have the firepower to ruin the Magpies unbeaten home record tomorrow night.[LNB] After watching last Saturday's televised encounter at Leicester City, the product of Newcastle's youth system declared himself unimpressed by his former side and is confident that fourth-placed Bluebirds can secure victory at St James' Park.[LNB] Chopra endured a barren 13-match spell without finding the back of the net this season but has regained his goalscoring touch in time to upset Newcastle's title challenge.[LNB] The 26-year-old wore Sunderland colours in his most recent appearance in front of his hometown crowd ensuring he received a very hostile reception. And his belligerent comments prior to tomorrow's encounter with his former club should guarantee him a similarly frosty welcome.[LNB] I can't wait, declared the striker, who netted once during his 21-game spell with Newcastle.[LNB] This is one of the matches I have been looking out for since the fixtures came out.[LNB] Thankfully, for me, I'm starting to score goals at the right time.[LNB] The reception I got at Newcastle last season was bad. It was a derby and I was playing for Sunderland. I knew when I went to Sunderland I would get a reception like that at Newcastle. Hopefully, Friday won't be as bad, but I'll still get stick.[LNB] I saw Newcastle play Leicester on television on Saturday and they didn't seem as good a team as they used to be.[LNB] We're playing some good stuff at the moment, so hopefully we can go up there and put up a fight.[LNB] Newcastle have got a good chance of winning the league they brought in six players during the transfer window, so they're really going for it.[LNB] But the way we are playing at the moment, this is the best opportunity we will have to be the first team to beat them at home.[LNB] Chopra failed to establish himself as a top flight marksman with either Newcastle or Sunderland but his ability at Championship level is unquestionable.[LNB] His return to form has prompted him to claim that he'll end the season as the division's leading marksman and in the process hit his preseason target of 30 goals.[LNB] Our team is full of goalscorers. For some reason we seem to play better against the top teams and take points off them, said Chopra, who clashed with a Newcastle fan when watching his former side beat Crystal Palace at St James' Park last month.[LNB] We went to West Brom and won comfortably and we did the same at Middlesbrough so the lads are full of confidence.[LNB] We're in good form and looking forward to Newcastle I watch Newcastle a lot.[LNB] When the manager gives me time off I go home I'll watch them play.[LNB] Obviously I take an interest in the club because it's where I was brought up. My mates are all Newcastle fans. But if I'm one on one with the keeper on Friday, I'll stick it in the back of the net.[LNB] In the meantime new recruits Mike Williamson and Wayne Routledge have admitted they were keen to swap clubs that are in turmoil for the relative calm of St James' Park.[LNB] Williamson quit troubled Portsmouth while Routledge was happy to wave goodbye to QPR who've employed six managers and a clutch of caretaker bosses in the past two years.[LNB] Routledge said: This feels like a settled club and that is always important. I know how distracting off field things can be and it's nice to put that to one side and just get down to hard work on the training pitch.[LNB] Williamson echoed the view of his new team-mate.[LNB] You want stability in your life on and off the field.[LNB] Personally I just wanted to be playing some players are the opposite of that, they'll pick up the pay check and don't care about playing. I just want to play as many games as possible, said the defender.[LNB] It was difficult at Portsmouth but I hope they stabilise and stay up.[LNB]
