Swansea City take on Hughton’s Newcastle this afternoon amid a string of praise from the former defender who was handed the permanent role at the club this season.
And he is certainmly not underestimating the Swans side that is unbeaten in eleven and just three places behind his promotion favourites.
โWhat theyโve got is almost a perfect formula,โ said the former Spurs assistant manager in the Western Mail.
โThey are a very good passing team who accept responsibility on the ball. But they also donโt concede many goals.
โWhat I expect to face are a very good side who hold possession well. They get into the right areas and they are a team that defensively will get bodies back behind the ball and make themselves tough to beat.
โSwansea are a form team and weโve had form teams come to St Jamesโ in the past and put up a good account of themselves. The onus is on us to win.
โPauloโs got stuck in at Swansea and heโs continued the work of Roberto Martinez,โ said the former Republic of Ireland international.
โI would imagine heโs there because Swansea see him of similar quality and somebody who canโt disrupt how they were going to play.
โTheyโve got a steel and a resilience that has resulted in them being on the run they are on, to go unbeaten through so many games and get so many clean sheets.โ