This looks like a tight one which should be low scoring.
McLeish does a fine job at Bham but lets be honest here the football is not of the best standard- his tactics are very negative and not losing goals is their aim. You cant argue with the success he has had but id question the entertainment value on season tickets.
Just 8 goals scored at home this season- only 6 lost.
Newcastle sacked a very successful manager to bring in Pardew in one of the most bizarre decisions ever seen in the epl. He did kick off with a nice win over Liverpool right enough but i cant help thinking that in the long run it will turn out to be a mistake.
Still the Toon are going very well at the moment- 8th place is a super return for any promoted side. They do tend to struggle for goals when playing away from st james part- just 8 all season- and from memory at least a couple of them have been gifts.
I expect both teams to play this 1 very tight. Well B,ham play every game tight ofcourse, but Newcastle will be looking to take an away point from this game. So negative tactics from Pardew is more than possible. To be fair to him, if he was to grab a draw here. 4 points from 2 tough fixtures to kick off his career would be a very nice start and may even start to change fans opinion.