OPINION
It is no secret that Newcastle United have endured many struggles this season, something which the fans will be fully aware of.
Things did not look too great at the start of the campaign when the Magpies lost several games on the trot, in fact, many would have condemned them for the drop at that point.
However, things have started to look up since then, and the signing of Miguel Almiron in January has pretty much reinforced that view. The players have stepped up to the plate when they needed to, and delivered the results that the team so desperately needed.
That is why most of the fans will love the way their club captain, Jamaal Lascelles, has hit back at the pundits who have criticised his team over the course of the campaign.
“We’ve proved people wrong again. It’s another season where we’ve been written off, but we’ve proved people wrong. Pundits seem to like going against Newcastle, saying, ‘Oh, they’re not good enough’ or ‘They haven’t spent the money’, but we’ve proved you don’t need to spend the money if you’ve got a good group of players in place,” he told the Chronicle.
Lascelles – who is on £40,000-a-week [Spotrac] – then rightly pointed out the downfall of Fulham this season, who spent a considerable amount of money on new signings but where relegated not long ago.
“Fulham went out and spent I don’t know how much money, and they’ve gone down,” he added.
Newcastle may not play the most entertaining football at times, but at the end of the day, they have got the job done and secured safety for another season.
Yes, they do not spend that much money compared to some of the teams around them in the Premier League, but with a manager like Rafa Benitez in the hotseat, they are able to make the most of the talent that they already have.
The Magpies are defying the critics – and Lascelles is making sure the boo boys know it.
