Marsch’s warm welcome
Jesse Marsch and Rene Maric were surveying St James’ Park after their arrival at Newcastle United with Leeds United when they had a surprise welcome. Mehrdad Ghodoussi, the Magpies co-owner, came onto the field with a child, presumably his son or daughter, and chatted for several minutes with the coaching pair.
It’s not every match you find the opposition owner making an effort to greet the Leeds boss on the field pre-match.
Capturing the moment
Maric’s pre-match activities were not done there either. Michael Skubala, presumably stepping into the Mark Jackson void temporarily, was with the travelling party on Tyneside.
READ MORE: Every word Jesse Marsch said on Leeds United's Newcastle point, Klich's future, Adams and validation
Maric held the phone and took a selfie of the pair of them, capturing their St James’ Park visit.
Crashing the party
There is no doubting the feel-good factor at Newcastle right now. Their flag displays have also caught the eye since their takeover.
The carnival atmosphere in the stands has been borne out in the colour and frequency of the flags and on Saturday there was a nod to the grey away kit of the late 1990s. The away end, in the gods at St James’ Park, let the natives know what they thought of it.
In their own inimitable way, they asked what it was.
Size matters
Marsch ventured out of his technical area to give instructions early in the first half. Not to be shackled by the white paint on the grass, the American went a few yards down the touchline to get Jack Harrison’s attention.
While he got his message across, fourth official Craig Pawson was not happy with his raid down the touchline and had words with him. Marsch was quick to comment on how small the area was and not fit for purpose.
Adams berates Ayling
One of the frequent strands of the first half was Luke Ayling’s struggles with Joelinton. The right-back had his hands full, but wanted to show ambition with his forays down the right in attack.
However, Leeds were struggling to keep the ball when they had it and saw the hosts turnover possession before breaking at speed repeatedly. In one such instance, in the 35th minute, Ayling was caught upfield and Joelinton had acres to attack.
Robin Koch and Tyler Adams were forced to sprint back and cover their absent right-back. Once the ball was made safe by the American, he got stuck into Ayling and told him what he thought about that decision to roam forward.
Cooper’s guiding voice
One of the elements lost in these games since the return of crowds after the Covid-affected 2019/20, 2020/21 campaigns is hearing the players' messages on the pitch. The beauty of Newcastle’s press box, when you and your equipment are not drowning in rainwater, is how close it is to the pitch.
Liam Cooper’s was one such voice we could pick up on. The effect of his leadership can be lost in the noise of the crowd, but in the 80th minute you could hear him guiding Pascal Struijk through a threatening high ball.
Instead of allowing him to risk it bouncing, Cooper was clear in telling Struijk to stick his head on it and immediately get rid of the danger. It’s only a little moment, but speaks volumes for Cooper’s role on the field.
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