As a Newcastle United fan, you could be forgiven for thinking things couldn’t get any worse than they are right now.
The Magpies slumped to a fourth consecutive top flight defeat at the weekend after they were dismantled by an impressive Watford 3-0 at St James’ Park.
After a solid start to the season, things have rapidly capitulated for Rafael Benitez’s side, however the Spaniard has heeded a less than savoury warning to fans of the club: things could get worse.
“We do not know what is going on and what might happen in January.” said Benitez in The Times commenting on the club’s prospective takeover.
“Our fans need to know it could be even worse. If we cannot sign anybody, what can we do? We have to stick together. I am telling the players to keep going and keep working hard. Until the end of the season, we have to do what we have to do.”
Benitez even went as far to single out reasons why his side find themselves in their current rut, stating the lack of a quality striker at the club is holding them back.
“The reality is that if you want to sign a striker who can score 20 goals every year, it is £40 million,” Benitez said. “An average striker is £20 million or £30 million. We didn’t do that, so we are where we are.
“We have to compete against Huddersfield, Brighton or Burnley, but we couldn’t compete against those clubs and sign the players they were signing. We couldn’t pay the prices they were paying or the wages they were offering. This group of players can manage if we stay calm and continue in the same way. Our fans know where we are and why we are here.”
