Tottenham Hotspur captain Heung-Min Son knows exactly what to expect when he arrives at St James’ Park to face Newcastle United this weekend.
Spurs are heading to St James’ Park on Saturday – the scene of their biggest embarrassment last season.
They were blown away by Newcastle United in April 2023, with Eddie Howe‘s side winning 6-1 to take a huge step towards Champions League qualification at Tottenham’s expense.
Newcastle were rampant that day, putting on an attacking clinic in the opening stages that resulted in them scoring five goals in the first 21 minutes. The Toon fans could not believe what they were seeing, as the St James’ Park atmosphere engulfed a Tottenham team that were being completely overpowered.
In the aftermath of the game, Spurs refunded their fans who made the journey to Tyneside. That is how bad it was.
Heung-Min Son knows what to expect from Newcastle and the St James’ Park crowd
Heung-Min Son is hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened at St James’ Park last year, and believes this Spurs team is very different to the one that lost 6-1.
He has been speaking about the upcoming fixture to the TNT Sport YouTube channel. Son looked back at what happened last year, as well as discussing Newcastle’s injuries and their fans.
“We were not the same team [last year] that we are right now,” he said.
“We were unstable and having so many issues going on, so right now we have to be really strong.
I know it’s a really tough place and Newcastle are a very strong side, I do like the way they play, with fantastic players.
“In the Premier League when you play against teams you never get three points for free, so we are working hard for this week to make sure we are ready and sharp to get a great result and we will see what is going to happen.
“It’s never a good time [to play someone] in the Premier League, sometimes you realise when someone has more injuries the guys to play have a chance to play and they are more hungry than the others and you are performing better and having more anger and you are showing on the pitch. This is a more difficult game. Especially Newcastle, I know how they feel, I have been a few times there and the atmosphere and the fans are fantastic, so it will be a very difficult game.”
Son has played in front of some raucous Newcastle crowds
The 31-year-old believes that the Newcastle fans are ‘fantastic’, and he has experienced some great atmospheres at St James’ Park during his Tottenham career.
Of course, that game last season was incredible, and the noise was unbelievable. But Son was also involved in the first game after the Saudi-backed takeover in October 2021. The mood in the ground before that game was amazing, as fans celebrated the beginning of a new era.
There was also the meeting on the last day of the 2015/16 season, when an already relegated Newcastle smashed Spurs 5-1, with Toon fans begging Rafa Benitez to stay with the club.
There have been some really entertaining games between Newcastle and Tottenham at St James’ Park over the years, and hopefully we witness another one on Saturday.
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