Brighton take on Newcastle - the inside track on the Magpies

Graham Potter's side are battling for a spot in the top half of the table whereas Newcastle are looking to further distance themselves from the relegation zone.

The Magpies have recently undergone a major change at the club as former owner Mike Ashley sold the club to Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium and fans are now dreaming of a brighter future.

To understand what exactly went wrong at the club under Ashley ahead of the match the Argus spoke to Newcastle Fan TV presenter Sam Mulliner.

Former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley

He told the Argus: "Mike Ashley ran the club on a neglectful shoestring for many years.

"He alienated club legends, ex-players and fans alike with his behaviour - even down to things like basic stadium maintenance.

"I could speak all day on this but times have changed and now prefer to look ahead instead of behind, but getting rid of Mike Ashley was a momentous day in the club's history and this was reflected in the scenes at the stadium on takeover day.

"Steve Bruce is a strange one, he made some astute signings given the circumstances, where every manager under Mike Ashley faces an uphill battle.

"Ryan Fraser on a free was a great coup, but Steve Bruce thought it was a good idea to convert one of the best wingers outside the top 6 into a centre midfielder… it did not work.

"The football was dire, and quite simply he got lucky with some of the results achieved.

"I’ve a great deal of sympathy for West Brom fans at the moment as the same rhetoric and excuses we heard from Bruce, are already creeping in at the Hawthorns."

Another change that happened was in the dugout as former AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe replaced Steve Bruce.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe applauds the fans after the Premier League match at the London Stadium, London

Howe has steered the ship to apparent safety as the Magpies have climbed out of the relegation zone and towards safety.

Mulliner said: "We didn’t have the “new manager bounce” under Eddie Howe in terms of results, but what we did get was a noticeable improvement in all aspects on the pitch.

"Players looked embarrassingly unfit under Bruce. Howe and his team have come in and worked wonders on the training ground.

"Playing players in their correct positions help.

"January’s recruitment has been pivotal and has given the club the extra spice it needed to secure Premier League safety."

For the match today Mulliner has picked out Allan Saint-Maximin as the man to keep an eye on. The winger could make his return to the pitch against Albion following a two week lay off with an injury.

Newcastle are vastly better with Allan Saint-Maximin

"Allan Saint-Maximin will be no stranger to fans of the opposition.

"When he’s on it, he’s unplayable. But what has been the biggest improvement under Howe has been the midfield.

"The aptly named trio of Jonjo and JoJoe [Shelvey, Willock and Joelinton] have kept new signing Bruno Guimaraes out of the side.

"Willock has found his scoring boots again, and Joelinton has to be one of the most remarkable turn rounds for a player in Premier League history."

Mulliner has admitted that Albion are a competitive team and are one player away from becoming a "real threat" in the league.

"Brighton are a side I feel could be a real threat in the Premier League if they had a 15-20 goal a season striker.

"They play good football and had a tremendous start to the season. We came up to the Premier League together and have still not beaten Albion at St James Park.

"The manager [Graham Potter], like Eddie Howe, is touted as a future national coach."

• READ MORE: Former Brighton defender praised as a 'beast' since Newcastle move

Last time the two sides played the game ended in a 1-1 draw at the Amex and in the fixture last season at St James' Park Albion won 3-0 with Neal Maupay scoring a brace and Arron Connolly netting a late third.

Mulliner said: "It will be a tough game for sure but the switch of Dan Burn seems to be affecting Brighton defensively.

"I think on his day, [Leandro] Trossard is a cracking player.

"[Tariq] Lamptey terrorised us in this fixture last season and still looks a great prospect after a couple of injuries.

"And a potential battle between Burn and Lewis Dunk at set pieces could be very interesting indeed at both ends of the pitch.

"But I think it’s about time we finally get a win against Brighton. I’ll go Newcastle 2-1"