BBC football pundit Garth Crooks has once again spoken out on Newcastle United by saying he believes they are ‘punching above their weight’ in the Premier League.
The Magpies currently sit in the top flight’s relegation spaces having lost eight of their last nine games.
“The reality is the Magpies are punching above their weight and are slowly running out of gas,” Crooks told the BBC.
“I dread to think how this squad is going to cope over the Christmas period.”
While Crooks may not be inaccurate in his description of Rafael Benitez’s struggling side, his statement comes as a shock (or perhaps not) to Newcastle fans after only months ago labelling the club as genuine title contenders.
The Magpies were as high as fourth in the Premier League back in mid-October when Crooks made his initial evaluation, however their awful run of form has seen them slip down 14 places.
Benitez’s side are now 18th and only three points above bottom of the table Swansea.
