Fulham Head Coach Scott Parker is a fan of the job Steve Bruce has done with Newcastle United, but still has his sights set on maximum points this Saturday.
The Magpies were beaten 5-2 by Leeds United in midweek but already have a respectable points tally of 17 – and Parker hopes they remain on that figure going into Christmas.
“They’re a good side, a very well organised side with individuals in their team that can cause you problems,” he explained. “They’ve got a manager in Steve who’s done a fantastic job throughout his career.
“Look, it’s a tough place to go, St James’ Park. I played there for a couple of years so I understand what it’s like there. They’ve got quality, so it will be a tough, tough game for us, but one we’re looking forward to.
“It’s definitely a game where we want to go up there and try and win. It’s a game that we want to try and take points from.
“Newcastle have had some up and down results, like a lot of teams this year, but they’re a very good side who will cause teams problems. They’ve got some very good personnel in their team.
“But in saying that, we’re in a good run, we’re in a good vein of form, so for sure we’re going to go up there and try and win the game.”
Bobby De Cordova-Reid was substituted after an hour on Wednesday, and will need to be assessed ahead of our trip to Tyneside.
“Everyone’s okay except for Bobby who’s got a little bit of an issue,” Parker revealed. “We’ll see where he is in a bit more detail tomorrow and then we can make a better call.”
If the weekend does come too soon for De Cordova-Reid, could that present an opportunity for Kenny Tete to return on the right-hand side?
“I’m not sure at the moment, maybe it’s still a bit too early for Kenny in terms of where he is,” Parker replied.
“He’s been in training now for a little while, but with the demands of the Premier League and what that entails it may come too soon.
“But again, we’ll have to see where we are tomorrow, see what the options are, and we’ll go from there.”