NBC pundit Robbie Earle has argued that Newcastle United are a big enough side to transform the Premier League’s top six into a top seven.
The Magpies recorded a fourth successive home win with a 2-0 victory over Burnley last night to move them seven points clear of the drop zone, but Earle has argued that they should be aiming their sights much higher than that.
Speaking on NBC, as quoted by the Chronicle, he said: “When I see those fans standing and clapping at the end, who love that football club, part of me is thinking there should be a big seven.
“There’s the big six and it should be Newcastle in there as well.
“Rafa Benitez being linked with the Leicester City job tells you how badly Newcastle is being run because under no circumstances should the manager of Newcastle be thinking about going to Leicester City.
“If this club is run 25 per cent correctly it is a top 10 team.”
OPINION
Earle is completely right, and it’s testament to how far that this Newcastle side has fallen that his comments may be ridiculed or viewed as excessive. The Toon Army are a massive club, with a loyal and fervent fanbase and the stadium and reputation to become a serious force in the Premier League. Instead, however, a decade of poorly managed ownership has led to a rapid decline that is nothing short of criminal. Look at the difference that one £20 million signing has made to the side ever since Miguel Almiron landed on Tyneside, and then imagine what Rafa Benitez could do with a war chest of £100 million or so. In some ways, the Spaniard has repeatedly made a rod for his own back by overachieving with a side that is average in so many departments. His successes have allowed Mike Ashley off the hook in terms of his investment, and you’d have to say that, given the success of Almiron, things aren’t likely to get better anytime soon.
