Bottom club Norwich City away is the perfect opportunity for Newcastle's attackers to say a big thank you to their back four.
United's magnificent run of six successive home victories which has propelled them to a heady 11th top and 40 points has been built as much on fierce defiance at the back as goalscoring exploits up front. Five of those half dozen wins have come by a single goal margin with only the first, 3-1 against Everton, producing any daylight and then the third goal came at the death.
United have defended magnificently when under the cosh and they have been at regular intervals even at SJP. Indeed Everton and Brentford away are the only times the Mags have managed a comfortable lead to kill off the game. So when United go to Carrow Road I will be looking for their front three to repay Messrs Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, and Matt Targett by winning it well. I want to see Allan Saint-Maximin take a leaf out of Krafth's book, Miggy Almiron to build on his fabulous winner against Palace, and Chris Wood to prove more than a nuisance.
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Saint-Maximin still infuriates me because he has so much potential yet so little end product be it goals or his final pass. I used to look at Krafth and think there was little hope but he has improved beyond belief and I am thrilled to hold my hands up and say he has proved me wrong. Over to you ASM.
I remember against Norwich up here when Ciaran Clark got sent off in the first 10 minutes and United could only draw 1-1 Saint-Maximin picked up the ball on the left wing. The Canaries had six strung across the pitch as our man cut inside. He kept going, not forward but sideways, until he had ran past them all but had not made two feet of progress in terms of getting nearer their goal.
Defenders will stand that all day! Almiron scored a scorcher on Wednesday night. It was a joy to see but it was his first goal of the season and I want to see more.
My old coach at Fulham Arthur Stevens used to have two sayings one of which was "one swallow doesn't make a summer." That applies to Miggy who is still playing for his Newcastle future. I hope he goes on to be a real success, starting at Norwich. I shall be watching him carefully.
When I played and scored a goal it made me even hungrier for a second and then a third. I was never satisfied with one. It is an attitude Alan Shearer had as well and I hope Almiron shows it rather than feel the monkey is off his back after his Palace winner.
As for Wood I also want to see more. Teemu Pukki is centre-forward in a side which is bottom of the division with only five wins in 32 attempts but he has scored 10 PL goals, exactly twice as many as those got by Chris at Burnley and Newcastle. Pukki is far too good for the Championship.
Wood's general work apart from his scoring record isn't all it is cracked up to be. He doesn't close down with aggression or terrify opponents in the air.
There is no way I want to be unkind to either Almiron or Wood but top flight football is a harsh judge of horse flesh and standards have to be reached and maintained. What United have achieved in the second-half of the season has been quite exceptional. They showed relegation form in the first half, Champions League form in the second.
Great credit must go to the players and the manager of course but to the new board of directors as well because I think they have helped create an aura of confidence and togetherness. United have attained good result after good result without playing particularly well which only adds to their credit because digging out wins on a consistent basis takes some doing when your football doesn't hit the heights.
What will happen when United start playing consistently well is anyone's guess but I am looking forward to it!
