Phoenix tackling under spotlight
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is hoping a quiet chat with Phoenix counterpart Ernie Merrick will limit any over-enthusiastic tackling when the two teams meet in Wellington on Saturday.
The English Premier League's Newcastle are coming off a 4-0 win over Sydney FC in Dunedin on Tuesday, while the Phoenix are on a high after upsetting West Ham 2-1 in Auckland the following day.
West Ham coach Sam Allardyce was unhappy with a couple of Phoenix challenges in their physical game, particularly with Louis Fenton's tackle on Cheikhou Kouyate, and Pardew was in agreement.
"I noticed a couple of challenges that were probably not suitable really for pre-season, so hopefully we don't see those," Pardew told media in Wellington on Friday.
He said a quick chat with Merrick could be in order.
"Probably I'll have a conversation, because for both of us it's very important that we start our season with our best players.
"We'll still be committed to win, and sometimes challenges can look worse than they are."
Merrick acknowledged there had been a couple of ill-timed tackles, and admitted Fenton was "out of order" with one challenge, although he won possession cleanly with another to set up the Phoenix's second goal.
"So although he mistimed his first one, the second was first-class and that's what it takes to win games," he said.
"I think it was youthful enthusiasm, it wasn't deliberate. But Sam is right - we want to win the ball, we want to tackle hard, but we've got to be respectful - these boys have an EPL season ahead of them."
