Newcastle boss is wary of Marlon Harewood

Sep 11 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

INCONSISTENT he may be, but Chris Hughton is wary of the havoc that Marlon Harewood can wreak on one of his good days.

The bustling striker is back in contention for Blackpool after a hamstring injury; it would be ironic if a player whose departure was barely lamented on Tyneside returned to score this afternoon.

Although only his biggest fans would argue that he is a proven Premier League goalscorer, Harewood can cause problems for top-flight defences.

He proved that against Wigan on the opening day, bagging a double at the DW Stadium – and Hughton knows that if his defenders are intimidated by his power, he can score against them too.

“He is a player we must be aware of because we know what he can do,” Hughton said. “He did very well for us in the period he was here. Not only did he score six goals, he was a positive character in that changing room.

“He has not been involved recently, certainly in their last game, so I don’t know whether he will play against us.

“What we sensed with Marlon was a player who had not played much football at Villa before he came to us so it was even more important that he came here and enjoyed it, which I think he did.”

Having failed to land Jermaine Beckford – now at Everton – Newcastle were on the brink of re-signing Harewood on loan when he broke his foot in January.

They were offered him again over the summer after his contract at Aston Villa ran out but Hughton opted to pursue other targets, none of which came off in the end. Harewood then signed for Blackpool after being offered to most of the clubs in the top two divisions.

Power is his main weapon although Hughton knows that he will be on a high because of an unexpected second chance to play top-flight football.

“He is at a stage in his career when he has missed a fair bit of football in recent years and I think he is just relishing any football he can get,” Hughton added.

“He is a powerful runner, that’s his strength. He can influence the two centre halves he plays against.

“I remember one game when he closed the keeper down and then nicked the ball and crossed for Lovenkrands to score. It is a useful asset, a very useful asset.

“That is what he can do – so we have to beware.”