Opinion: Why Southampton were right to question Newcastle United postponement

For the second match running, The Magpies requested the postponement of their trip to St Mary’s Stadium after a Covid-19 outbreak and injuries left head coach Eddie Howe with less than 13 available outfield players with Premier League experience.

Premier League rules state that if a club cannot field 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper from its squad list or its ‘appropriately experienced’ under-21 players due to COVID-19 infections, isolation and other injuries and illnesses, the match will be postponed.

These parameters are the same for Newcastle and every other Premier League club with 18 league fixtures being postponed under these current rules.

Two of the 18 postponements have come as a result of a request from Newcastle. First their midweek match at Everton was postponed, now the Southampton trip will have to be rearranged for a later date too.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl commented before the Newcastle match was postponed: “Injuries are not Covid cases. [Newcastle] had seven or eight players on the bench during their last game [against Manchester United].

"They should still have 13 players plus one [goalkeeper].”

Following confirmation of the postponement, The Saints have launched a complaint to the Premier League over a lack of transparency which is seeing matches postponed.

The lines are being blurred between Covid-19 absences and injuries with Newcastle currently without top scorer Callum Wilson due to a calf injury. Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser were also doubts for the trip having being withdrawn during the 1-1 draw against Man United.

Southampton’s frustration is understandable as last season they were forced to name a severely weakened side against Manchester United due to several key players being unavailable. As a result, they equalled their own record of a heaviest ever Premier League defeat as they were beaten 9-0 by The Red Devils.

Newcastle already know all about a lack of transparency where the Premier League are concerned following their Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) after the league initially failed to approve a proposed takeover by a consortium which included Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) last year.

The takeover has since been approved, which is likely to see Newcastle strengthen significantly during the January transfer window. As a result, Everton and Southampton could, in theory, be facing a significantly more competitive Magpies side than they would have played had the match gone ahead as planned.

That will leave somewhat of a bitter taste for those opposition clubs, as it would have for The Magpies had the tables been turned.

But all Newcastle are guilty of is following the same rules as everyone else, it just so happens that they’re set to have a more active transfer window than most given their new-found financial clout.

To have a match postponed, clubs have to provide a detailed account of all of the injuries and Covid-19 cases in their camp as well as which players are available for selection.

But this information is only passed to the Premier League, not the opposing club – hence Southampton’s call for transparency.

A Premier League statement read: “The board accepted the postponement application as [Newcastle] do not have the required number of players available for the match 13 outfield players and one goalkeeper).

“The board was able to make its decision in advance of the fixture to give clarity to the affected clubs and their fans. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to supporters' festive plans.

“The league is aware that the decisions recently to postpone matches will disappoint supporters, and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games.

“The league aims to provide as much clarity as possible but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is our priority. Where possible, the League will endeavour to keep supporters updated if games become at risk on a matchday.”

Any frustration aimed at Newcastle is simply misguided at this stage. They’ve played more games than most of the teams in the bottom half and have no say on what requirements are needed to have matches postponed.

Any postponement due to Covid-19, a waterlogged pitch or anything else largely out of a club’s control will almost always see said club face the heat from opposition supporters.

Admittedly, Newcastle’s case is slightly more unique given that they should benefit from these matches being postponed.

While the decision to postpone Sunday’s match at St Mary’s was the right one based on what is known about Newcastle’s squad, Southampton are also right to call for more transparency from the Premier League.

The Covid-19 situation is an unpredictable and ongoing threat to the integrity of the competition. The current rules are able to be exploited especially if information provided by clubs isn’t checked and disclosed to the opposing club in the event of a postponement.

Animosity between supporters is a given in most situations – but given how Covid continues to impact matches, a lack of transparency will only cause more unnecessary friction between clubs as they will naturally try to do whatever they can to give themselves an advantage within the laws of the game.

After almost all of the 2020-21 campaign took place behind closed doors, supporters are still suffering with these frequent postponements. Magpies’ fans who already made travel and accommodation arrangements for the trips to Everton and Southampton are out of pocket and potentially unable to attend the rearranged fixtures outside of the festive period.

It’s an incredibly difficult situation to manage but more transparency between clubs will at least provide some incentive to work together and get matches to go ahead as planned.

Next up for Newcastle in the Premier League is a home match against Watford on January 15 – 20 days after their previous league outing.

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