Everton travel to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League tonight.
Everton boss Sam Allardyce has told Sky Sports that he thinks his side face a big test in attempting to quieten down the Newcastle United crowd tonight.
Allardyce takes his Everton side to the North East this evening to take on Newcastle just days after picking up a 1-1 draw at Merseyside rivals Liverpool, with 'Big Sam' looking for another positive result.
His stint as Everton boss began with a 2-0 home win over Huddersfield Town, whilst Sunday's point at Liverpool means he has taken four points from his first two games in charge, with some attributing the 4-0 win over West Ham – on the day of his appointment as he sat in the stands – to him as well.
Allardyce will be looking for another result tonight, and he will be making a return to St. James' Park, where he has some less-than-great memories.
The 63-year-old became Newcastle manager back in 2007, and lasted less than eight months in the job before being sacked, having won just eight of his 24 games in charge of the Magpies.
Nearly 10 years on from his sacking, Allardyce returns again, and given that he knows all about the St. James' Park crowd, he has offered something of a warning to his players.
Allardyce has told Sky Sports that Everton will face a big test tonight, as they must look to nullify any creativity from Newcastle in order to quieten the crowd early on.
Allardyce noted that the atmosphere at Newcastle can be tough to play against as they really urge their players on when in foll flow, and hopes to replicate Leicester's 3-2 win over Newcastle from Saturday night.
“The big test is to nullify their attacking flair because it keeps the crowd quiet,” said Allardyce. “The crowd at Newcastle, when they are in full flow, really urge their players on.”
“But if you can keep them quiet and get possession, and frustrate them, then the crowd goes quiet. They conceded three against Leicester, so we'll take a look at that,” he added.