Newcastle United must find a way of improving the atmosphere inside St. James’ Park, or the club could be in “a hell of a lot of trouble”, according to Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards.
The Magpies lost their opening day fixture against Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday, and played that match in fairly dreary and apathetic surroundings.
But Edwards believes that unless the Toon Army can find a way to lift spirits off the field, they could struggle to perform on it.
Speaking on the True Faith podcast (14.40), he said: “If the atmosphere inside the ground stays like it was on Sunday Newcastle are in a hell of a lot of trouble.
“I don’t know how we solve that problem.
“At some point it has to be addressed.”
OPINION
Edwards is absolutely right on this one. You cannot blame Newcastle fans for being disillusioned with the way that their club is being run at the moment, and it would be inorganic, not to mention highly beneficial to Mike Ashley, if they were to turn up every week and take the roof off St. James’ Park with their support. That being said, this dour atmosphere that is hanging over the place threatens to be genuinely detrimental to the club’s chances this season. How are new signings like Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin meant to hit the ground running when they are playing in front of a crowd who barely want to be there? The Toon Army are in a tricky and unenviable predicament, but as the season progresses, they need to decide where their priorities lie, fobbing off Ashley or staying in the Premier League. It’s hard to know what the right answer is.
