Stoke's Season On The Slide ... And Magpies Set For The Kill!
"You only have to look at the league table to see four points one way or the other can take you a long way. It is very tight.
"In January, our plan is to strengthen the squad. That was always our intention."
£2million summer signing Ibrahima Sonko could face Michael Owen.
Sonko: "Newcastle have some excellent strikers, they play with a big lad and a couple of quick players around him. You have to be ready, they are tough.
"(Obafemi) Martins has pace and power while Owen is a bit more sneaky, he seems to be in the right place to score when you are not expecting it.
"Owen will always be a threat, wherever he plays football he will score goals.
"We just have to be aware of him. If you relax for a second he will make you pay. He always seems to come up with something sneaky.
"I have played against him before and I am told that a few years ago he was much faster, so maybe I am lucky not to have been around then.
"But he is always likely to do the opposite to what you are expecting. You have to watch him all the time."