Michael Beale's verdict on Sunderland-Newcastle FA Cup tie

Michael Beale has made a solid start to life at the Stadium of Light after replacing Tony Mowbray as head coach but now faces a huge test against Newcastle.

And this is what Beale had to say ahead of the upcoming Wear-Tyne derby including an injury update on key winger Patrick Roberts:

How much are you looking forward to the game and what have you been told to expect?

I’m really looking forward to the game, I think everybody is since the draw came out. I’ve arrived into the club after the draw was made but you could feel the anticipation building and now we’re finally at game week I think, on both sides, everyone is looking forward to the game. It’s the first derby in seven years, which is far too long, but it’s the beauty of the FA Cup which has brought the game for everybody and it’s one that everyone in the nation will be watching. It’s a great game to be involved in, for sure.

It’s a fixture that captivates everybody in the North East, but it’s more than that. I think for everyone in the country it’s a huge fixture. We love our derbies in English football but in this part of the world it’s great to have it.

We need to be at our very best. There’s obviously a difference between the two teams at the moment and those seven years have been different for both clubs in terms of the ups and downs, so as we arrive into the game it’s intriguing. We have a very young squad and a very ambitious team going up against a Champions League team this season. 

Sunderland are unbeaten in nine games against Newcastle, does that impact anything?

That’s not something that’s been put at me. I think we just have to take each game as it comes. We, as a football club and our young players, are really ambitious and we’re playing against a very good team, first and foremost. But we are playing for our fans and our city, so it’s really important that we put that into the performance in terms of our focus and our concentration and our quality. We know it’s going to be a really tough game but it’s at our stadium with our fans behind us, so there’s everything to like about this game.

You’ve experienced the Glasgow derby between Rangers and Celtic, where do you expect this to be in comparison?

The fact it’s the first one in seven years I except it to be similar in the build-up in the week that I’ve had there many a times and I’m sure the fans are going to bring colour to the fixture as well in the stands and the energy will go onto the pitch. I’m really looking forward to it, the team is as well. We’ve had four games in 10 days over a busy Christmas period but now that’s out of the way, this was always in the back of our minds and now we can get our teeth into it.

What can you take from those derbies in Glasgow?

I think you just focus on yourself and the work that you do. We’ve got a really good, young and ambitious team that’s doing really well in the Championship and it’s important that we bring the best version of ourselves. The focus is very much on ourselves this week and the way that we play, knowing we’re playing against a good team. But it’s important we lean on the good work that’s been done in this building and you focus on trying to play your game. The game that’s in front of us is a fantastic occasion. These groups of players, on both sides, have not had the privilege of playing in it. So, it’s important that we respect the derby but we also play our normal game.

How pleased have you been with the reaction since the defeat to Coventry?

Coming out of the festive period it was really important that we remained in the play-off positions. You can see how tight the Championship is, so to come out of it and have the next two weeks before we go to Ipswich in those positions it’s enabled us to focus on this game with a calmness in the air. I think the response from the players has been fantastic to the change with Mike Dodds taking over for a couple of games and then myself coming in, they’ve really done well. We’re in a good place. We can park the league and really get our focus on this one.

Is this a fixture you can look forward to?

For there not to have been one for seven years, for both managers and sets of players, we’re the fortunate ones. There’s been many before us over the last seven years that haven’t had this opportunity. I’d be lying if I was to say it wasn’t in the background, or even spoken about, in my first couple of days, and I’ve been reminded of it everywhere I’ve been since I’ve been here. Now it’s here we can get really focused on it. The relentlessness of the Championship has meant that’s been a good distraction for us.

Are you playing Newcastle at a good time?

I think this is the first week where they’ve had a chance to take a deep breath as well. They’ve been playing three games a week, which is different for that squad than in previous years, so that’s taken it’s toll for sure like it does on many a squad who have European football and the domestic stuff off the back of that. But our focus is on ourselves. It would be wrong of us to look at the team they put out against Liverpool to think it’s going to be anything other than a really tough game.

There’s a lot of ambition in our dressing room of players who want to go on and play in the Premier League and Champions League – well, they’re coming up against a team at the weekend that has been heavily invested in for that and has played in the Champions League this season as well. So, what an opportunity it is for those young players to go and get feedback. It’s a fantastic cup tie. There’s been a lot said about the FA Cup but games like this really do remind us about how special it can be.

How is Patrick Roberts doing?

Patrick is a big doubt for the game. We’ll make a call later in the week but, at the moment, he’ll be a big doubt, so we’re no change from the weekend. We didn’t come out of the weekend with anymore problems.

What has the mood in the dressing room been like ahead of this?

We were together a lot over the festive period with those four games, so we took a deep breath after that. We’ve had our first chats about the game at the weekend and everyone is optimistic and looking forward to it as I think the whole nation is.  It’s not just the fans of the two clubs. When this tie came out it’s definitely the tie of the round and it’s one for everyone to look forward to.

What’s the message to the players going into the game?

We’ve got to be the best version of ourselves and trust the work you have been doing. There’s a reason why we’re riding high in the Championship. There’s a reason why we’ve had good results over the last couple of months. There’s a lot of good work going on.

Take the emotion out of it, as much as you can, and play the game that’s in front of you. We’ve got young players in our squad who I think are showing up really well at the moment. This is a great opportunity for them to go and show that again against a team who may not have had perfect results of late but let’s not fool ourselves, this Newcastle squad is a very good one.

How much of a boost would it be if you were able to get a result?

This game is going to give us feedback and how we use that moving forward is going to be really important. Let’s say it went really well, in terms of the result, the feedback we get we can’t get too high on because we need to get back to our domestic stuff. Likewise, if it doesn’t go so well, it’s one game and there’s a reality of the gap you’ve got to close to go and play at that level, which is where we want to go.

I think this game is crucial for us. It would have been had we played any team in the Premier League because, ultimately, that’s where we want to be and the club has not been there for a while now. Last season the club made huge progress coming back into the Championship and getting into the play-offs, probably surprising a lot of people, and this year we’ve continued in similar form. The focus for us will always be the league, but when you draw your main rivals in the FA Cup third round at home, naturally it’s a final. Whenever you play a derby it’s a final. It’s not a normal game.

What have the local lads said about the game?

We’ve not had much chance to speak about it, but for the local boys it’s in their blood. There’s a lot of passionate people inside the building, that’s what I’ve noticed in the first two weeks. It’s really important to them.

For any team, you have to trust the work you’ve done beforehand. There’s nothing magic I’m going to say in the next few days to recreate the wheel. You’ve been working as a team since the start of the season, I’ve come in over the last two weeks and tried to add one or two things to it. But it’s important we trust the work.

The teams up and around us in the Championship we’ve generally done really well against this year, so we’re not a million miles away from that level. But we’ll find out. We know we’re going to get the best version of Newcastle because it’s a derby. It’s going to be a fantastic challenge for my young team.

Do you remember watching any previous Wear-Tyne derbies as an outsider?

A couple of people have mentioned the [Paolo] Di Canio knee-slide to me. Jermain Defoe has played in it and I’ve spoken to him about it in our time together. With all the European and international football there is now you can forget how much the derbies mean to people. And not having one for seven years I think we’re going to see that. You’re really going to feel it and it’s that feeling and relationship you have with your club and the players who play for it are what it’s all about. There’s a lot of respect in this rivalry and everyone who is involved in it is very fortunate.

Is there a danger of a young squad freezing on the big occasion?

There’s things you can do early in the game that will help you; you have to make good decisions and play in the right areas. Your communication on the pitch is really important and, as a young group, is something we’re working on and your preparation – that’s not just the players but the staff as well. I’ve seen in derbies before where all the staff around the building take on a different face in the week but none of them are playing. So it’s important we support the players in the right way.

It’s important we feel the strength and the backing of the fans but then we go and perform and play the game in front of us. It’s a really good opportunity for some of my young players who want to go and play in the Premier League to go and show they’re more than worthy of doing that. It’s important we understand that we’re a good team and we can hurt them if we play to the best of our capabilities.

 What are your thoughts on the FA Cup?

The FA Cup is a tournament where we’ve all grown up and seen the full day on a Saturday – that’s gone now but these derby games, and this draw in particular, has got everyone’s imagination. That’s why the focus should only be on the two football teams and the fans on the day and all the positive things of it. All the other talk on things like ownership needs to be pushed to one side.

It’s really important to the FA Cup, it’s the best cup competition in the world, and it’s really important when we get these types of draws. We all love the cup upsets but there’s nothing bigger than a rivalry.