At 10.30pm on Tuesday night there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel for Saints for their trip to Newcastle United, but Ralph Hasenhuttl had some good and bad news on the injury front.

The first bit of good news was that Jan Bednarek would not be suspended for the trip to the North East after his red card at Old Trafford was quite rightly overturned.

Speaking about Bednarek's situation, Ralph had this to say:

"It was the only possible decision for us. It's just a pity that this decision was not made during the game because maybe there would have been less drama.

"The squad feeling is that we've made this experience once and what happened afterwards was a reaction that everyone wanted to show."

"Games like this can happen from time to time. It's up to us to show what team we are. The good thing is, after every setback, you see new hope.

The next piece of good news was that Jannik Vestergaard, Oriol Romeu and Kyle Walker Peters are also in line for a return, although Ralph Hasenhuttl was cagey about how quickly that would be.

"Oriol [Romeu] is training today, we maybe have Jannik [Vestergaard] back available for the weekend. I see Minamino training today, he's made a fantastic start already. This gives us all an emotional lift to be honest.

"I had today the first time to speak to him at length. It's the right choice for us, I'm very happy he's around the team. He's showed me already he's got the qualities to help us.

Kyle [Walker-Peters] is maybe available. But there's no good news without bad news."

The bad news was that Stuart Armstrong one of the better performers in recent games is unlikely to play against Newcastle.

"Stu [Armstrong] has a problem with his muscle, he'll be out for this weekend. The problems with injuries do not stop"

However the manager didn't give any updates on Theo Walcott, Ibrahima Diallo and Mohammed Salisu and it can only be assumed that they will again be missing.

With Romeu and new signing added to the squad from Tuesday it strengthens the squad even with Stuart Armstrong missing, although it will only be one extra player in numbers, it is the options it offers the manager that will offer hope, Romeu will be a boost in the centre of midfield and Minamino can play in several positions.

But the real key will be if he can get KWP or Jannik Vestergaard in the squad, just having them on the bench will be a big boost to team morale and spirit.

Photo: Action Images

teamster1 added 22:28 - Feb 4 After the refereeing debacle the other night I would like to see Mike Dean relegated to lower league football until he realises that the game is for the players and the fans and not for him to act like God with his own agendas. His actions have gone on far too long without punishment and I would go as far to say that he is the worst top flight referee I have ever seen.

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Boris1977 added 23:23 - Feb 4 Uriah Rennie was demoted once for getting a few decisions wrong in a game so under the circumstances Dean will surely have to serve a similar penance. Although why should he be given the opportunity to ruin other games? Maybe award Bednareks red card to Dean and ban him. The humiliation he must have felt at his peers judging that he got this decision badly wrong is a joy to imagine. What a parasite.

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schatfield added 01:01 - Feb 5 It is good timing we have Newcastle next - after the thumping we got, there are probably 2 teams you want to play next, either the toon or West Brom. And with Bednarak back, a quick chance to fix what went wrong and get us back in our stride. Be happy saints fans!
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SaintPaulVW added 09:01 - Feb 5 Here's hoping for a bit of a rebound. Just scoring a few goals regardless of the result will give me a lift. While I hope Minamino plays and plays well, the rest of the team need to show up too. COYR
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underweststand added 09:29 - Feb 5 I am well-used to hearing injury stories of late and sorry to hear that Armstrong is out (he's been good in recent games) but the news that JV and KWP are fit again is a good omen and the possibility of seeing Romeu back in MF is also very encouraging. It may tighten things up at the back but we still need to score goals which means more demands on Ings and Adams (assuming that they are onside when they score). The prospect of seeing what contribution Minamino can bring to the side is also a lift for the spirits, and a victory would be very welcome as Newcastle has seldom been a "happy hunting ground " for Saints going back many decades.

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highfield49 added 11:05 - Feb 5 I see that Fulham have got stuffed with the Dean/Mason combo for their match against West Ham. Craig Pawson is the man for the Newcastle game and hopefully his ego will be left firmly in the changing room. Good to read that some of our key players could be in contention and I'm really hoping that Minamino can bring a new dimension to the team. Time for our luck to change and Danny and Che to find the net without VAR interference.

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