OPINION
If you had asked any Newcastle United fan at the start of the season who they thought would be relegated, many of them would have predicted a horrid end for their own team.
The Magpies’ winless win would have been enough for any fan to condemn them to the drop, but after a short winning streak that saw them climb out of trouble, those thoughts would have undoubtedly faded.
Until that is, they failed to score against Fulham on Saturday – a team who has the worst defence in the top-flight as well as shipping the most goals.
That is worrying and does not bode well for United in the slightest.
Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has recently made a prediction about his team’s chances of staying up this season – and it does not make for good reading.
“As I said, we have to be realistic and understand we will be in the half-bottom for the whole season and it will be almost clear, and if we can be better than three teams it will be another miracle,” he said, as quoted by the Chronicle.
“We can try and make things happen in January, and we will see what happens. But it would be a miracle to stay up, yes.”
Newcastle fans will be absolutely fuming with Benitez for making these comments, as that is the least reassuring thing to hear – especially from the manager.
The fact he thinks it will take a lot for his side to secure another year of football in the Premier League shows how little faith he has in the quality of his team – yes, it is realistic to say that Newcastle will be dragged into the relegation battle – but to say that it will be a miracle is a lot different.
These comments also show that Benitez is not relying on being provided the adequate funds in January to get the players he wants.
If he does get the signings he is after, then Newcastle have a better chance of steering clear of the drop – if he does not, then the inevitable will happen.
Either way, Newcastle fans will be seething with Benitez, the one person who they should be placing the most trust in.
