Jets coach predicts team changes for clash with Sydney FC

Stanton, in his first season as an A-League head coach, has opted for a youth policy but admitted after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Brisbane: "We need to mature as a team, we need to manage games better, and that comes through exposure and experience."

Given the short turnaround, he said fresh troops were likely to receive an opportunity against Sydney, raising the question of whether senior players Jason Hoffman, Jason Berthomier and Carl Jenkinson might be in line for a recall.

Hoffman, 34, is the most-capped player in Newcastle's history but has made only four appearances this season, and has spent only one minute on the pitch in the past seven games.

French midfielder Berthomier, also 34, has struggled with injuries since joining Newcastle and has featured in only five games, and none since early December.

Jenkinson, the 31-year-old English defender who played for Arsenal and West Ham in the Premier League, has made three appearances this season and received only one minute of game time in the past seven fixtures.

Stanton said all three were playing important mentoring roles behind the scenes but did not necessarily see them as a quick fix on game day.

"I pick the best players," he said.

"I look at who can do what we need to do within the system, so you've still got to be able to do that.

"You can have as much experience as you want, but you've still got to be the best player to be picked. I'm picking it basing it not on experience.

"Those guys are offering experience in and around the change room every day, so we're still picking up those elements from them.

"The players that are playing deserve to play. They're training the hardest, they've worked hardest, they've been the most consistent, so they've been getting picked.

"But everyone is open to being selected ... you've just got to make sure you're training well and ahead of the player in your position."

With Newcastle facing three games in the next eight days, Stanton said fresh legs would likely be required.

"The short turnaround makes it hard for everyone, so we'll look at what we need to do at changes and stuff just to freshen up ... we've got a few areas we need to adjust," he said.

"There's a couple of players maybe that won't be available, so we have to make a couple [of changes].

"There are a couple of boys that have been looking a little bit tired. They've accumulated a lot of minutes, and other boys haven't had as many minutes.

"So the next couple of weeks we've got three games in nine or 10 days, so recover and play is pretty much what we have to go through."

Stanton said his young troops have been "very consistent and durable" over the first 12 games of the season, but with 15 rounds to play, "now is the time to make one or two changes."

"There's a few players I'd like to give some more opportunities too, at the right time," he said.

"There's a couple of young ones, too, down the track."

As for the prospect of roster changes during the January transfer window, the coach reiterated that was unlikely.

"At this point we haven't planned for any players to come in or players to leave," he said.

"It could still happen, but at this point we haven't put any plans in place. We're more looking at retention and recruitment for the following season."

Friday's clash will be Stanton's first against Sydney, the club at which he served as an assistant coach for eight season, helping them win two championships.

He said it was "another game" that held no extra meaning for him, other than trying to bank three much-needed points.

"All games are hard to win in the A-League," he said.

"Obviously I know the [Sydney] players well and the club well ... I spent eight years there and it's an area where I was able to grow as a coach, and I wouldn't be able to be here today without spending time there."

He suggested his former club, who are one position and two points better off than 10th-placed Newcastle, might be feeling some pressure.

"Sydney are obviously a tough game, because they're a team that aren't performing as well as what they should do," he said.

"There are high expectations on Sydney, as there are on some of the bigger clubs."