Newcastle v LFC: The view from St James'

Talk us through your season prior to this recent run of three consecutive wins. What was the issue?

We had an awful start, ending up at the bottom of the table at one stage and it started bearing all the hallmarks of a relegation season. We struggled for goals and in defence - two ingredients which don't mix well. If it wasn't for these problems we could have maybe turned draws against Villa, Crystal Palace and Hull into wins and then we would have been in a healthier position. Results like the 4-0 defeat away to Southampton were also worrying as we didn't look up for it from the start. Alan Pardew has obviously been in for a lot of criticism and there were questions about how we have been set up tactically for games, with a lone striker and little creativity from midfield. The early injury to new signing Siem de Jong was a massive blow as he was supposed to be the No.10 Pardew has apparently craved.

Was there anyone who could hold their head up during that period, from the start of the season until the Leicester win?

Jack Colback made a decent start - he's a very hard worker - while Daryl Janmaat, although poor in some games, looks like he could be a good buy.

So what changed? What's sparked this run of victories?

In the past three games we've seen some passion burning throughout the squad again. After the hammering at Southampton the fans questioned whether it was there but they've dug in and got the results. The 2-2 draw away to Swansea was vital because it stopped the rot and we have Papiss Cisse to thank for that, as we did in the 2-2 draw at home to Hull when a defeat would have been a disaster. Getting the first win against Leicester was also big as it took some of the pressure off, which has been evident in two brilliant wins away to Spurs and Man City. If we had gone to those places without a win under our belt we probably wouldn't have come back from 1-0 down against Spurs or played so positively against City.

Give us a bit more information on the young talents that thrived against Manchester City midweek...

Rolando Aarons, who scored the first goal, is a real talent at just 18. There's already comparisons between him and your own Raheem Sterling, mainly because they are fast, tricky young wingers both originally from Jamaica. He only emerged as a first-team contender in pre-season and had a flying start to the season, hauling us back from 2-1 down against Crystal Palace with a goal and assist before they equalised at the end to make it 3-3. He got injured just after that game and was out for a month before making his comeback against Man City in midweek, scoring after just six minutes. Another youngster who played is Adam Armstrong, a 17-year-old Geordie striker who has a great scoring record in the youth teams and has looked promising in a few outings this season. Then there's Paul Dummett, who you won't have forgotten scored at the Gallowgate End in the corresponding fixture last season when we were down to 10 men. He's been a late bloomer as he only broke through last season aged 22, but has been our first-choice left-back this season, even if some fans would prefer to see Massadio Haidara in his place. Sammy Ameobi is finally starting to look like he could have a proper career at the club with some key contributions in the past few weeks, while central midfielder Mehdi Abeid looked to be on his way out of the club in the summer but has put in some decent shifts in the League Cup.

Who should Liverpool be keeping a close eye on today, then?

If anyone, maybe Aarons if he comes on as a substitute.

Prediction?

1-1