Stoke V Newcastle at Britannia Stadium - Match Preview




Kemp calls for more goals

Stoke assistant manager Dave Kemp wants the rest of the Potters team to follow the example of Charlie Adam and start chipping in with more goals.

Scotland midfielder Adam, a summer signing from Liverpool, has scored the winner in Stoke's last two home matches, both 1-0 victories over QPR and Fulham.

Kemp was pleased with the performance and result against the Cottagers on Saturday but thinks his side are making life unnecessarily tense for themselves by not converting their chances.

He said: "I thought we played better than the result suggested but it's no good me saying that, we have to score the goals to justify that. It's all about goals and we're not scoring enough from the chances that we're creating.

"We don't want to keep making it as nervous as that or we'll all grow old very quickly. If we can get two or three up in games when we're playing well then it will make life a bit easier.

"We had 14 shots against Fulham but only two were on target. We can't keep claiming bad luck - it's not bad luck if you keep missing the target."

The three points lifted Stoke up to 12th place in the Barclays Premier League table and on the same points as Fulham and Liverpool above them.

But, while those two teams have managed 25 and 17 goals respectively, Stoke have only scored 11, one more than lowest-scoring trio Aston Villa, Norwich and QPR.

Kemp said of Adam: "He's produced two quality finishes, and that's what we've been missing in our play. We've been having shots but the quality of the finishing's not been as good as the build-up play.

"Charlie's two finishes have been very good and that's the type of thing we're looking for, but we need more of it, and not just from Charlie, from all the players."

Stoke boss Tony Pulis could name the same side that beat Fulham, with defender Andy Wilkinson (back) and striker Michael Owen (hamstring) unlikely to be risked.

Owen has so far managed only 53 minutes of action for the Potters since joining the club in September but Kemp is confident the former England man will prove to be a valuable asset.

"It is frustrating but you just have to accept these things, there's no point dwelling on it," said Kemp.

"If he's not available then you have to move on and work with the players that are available. We know the qualities he has and we hope he can produce them for Stoke City."

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has told his players not to be afraid of taking risks as they attempt to drag themselves out of a depressing slump.

The injury-hit Magpies head for Stoke desperate to avoid a fourth successive Barclays Premier League defeat and becalmed by a run which has severely dented their hopes of matching last season's top-five finish.

The loss of central defender Steven Taylor and midfielder Yohan Cabaye until February has significantly extended an already lengthy casualty list and darkened the clouds hanging over St James' Park.

However, Pardew insists neither he nor his players can afford to doubt their own ability if they are to stage a fightback ahead of a difficult fixture list as 2012 draws to a close, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all waiting in the wings.

He said: "No, of course, and you can't doubt your risk-taking, because actually, that's what it affects as a player.

"When they say people are struggling with confidence, I always think it's are struggling with risk-taking because you don't take risks, you play safe and sometimes when you play safe, you don't get any reward.

"There's a balance between really working hard and risk-taking, and that's what we need to get right at Stoke.

"We are certainly not panicking, but we need to be conscious of where we are in the division and that we have got tough games around the corner.

"We are going to need to kick into gear - and kick into gear with some key players missing, by the way.

"That means we have all got to work that little bit harder."

Newcastle have not lost four consecutive top-flight games since the 2008-09 season, at the end of which they were relegated, and the current run of form is starkly out of character with that which they have enjoyed throughout Pardew's reign to date.

Pardew is also without midfielders Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring) and Gabriel Obertan (toe) and striker Shola Ameobi (groin), although central defender and captain Fabricio Coloccini is available after completing a three-match ban.

Source: PA

Source: PA