BBC pundit Garth Crooks insists Newcastle United can still be ‘title contenders’ under Rafael Benitez despite a run of form that has seen them go without a win in six top flight games.
Crooks made the wild claim earlier in the season when Newcastle were as high as fourth in the table, however after 1 point from 18 hte BBC pundit stands by his claims.
“I was almost laughed out of BBC’s Final Score studio when I insisted that, given the right resources, Benitez could turn Newcastle into title contenders.” said Crooks.
“Why the comment was greeted with such bewilderment, I have no idea. Anyone who knows anything about football should know that Benitez has done it before at Valencia.
“If he can stop football giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid from winning the title, he can certainly do it against both Manchester clubs.”
The Magpies have lost five of their past half-dozen fixtures, the most recent defeat coming at Stamford Bridge courtesy of an Eden Hazard masterclass who scored twice as Chelsea emerged as 3-1 victors.
The defeat leaves Newcastle 15th in the table and only five points above the relegation zone, however Crooks stands by his statements made earlier in the year in which he claims Benitez could guide his side to unlikely Premier League glory.
The fans certainly found the notion that Newcastle could be Champions funny, but perhaps they do so even more now after what has been a poor six weeks for the club …
https://twitter.com/Owen_B_Reeman/status/937633400034418690
Garth Crooks claiming Newcastle could win the league should bar him from ever being a pundit again.
— Richard Mack (@Ritzmack) October 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/adam_jurgens/status/922017329579470849
https://twitter.com/garyMUFC86/status/937640469852549120
https://twitter.com/JesseLingxrd/status/937639617213452289
Never forget that Harry Redknapp, Nigel Clough and Garth Crooks endorsed these toey football boots. pic.twitter.com/13vOxdBxce
— Cal Bourke (@CalB20) December 4, 2017
BBC Sport must still only have Garth Crooks for comedic reasons
— BrodieHill 📕 (lens🧡) (@brodiehill_eth) December 4, 2017
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