Newcastle United are in serious trouble – deep, deep waters.
After losing 3-0 to Everton, they are still stuck in the bottom three of the table and it seems like there is an incredibly steep hill ahead of them. Despite an astonishing January transfer window, which saw NUFC bring in 4 players, the positive signings and backing of ownership did not impact their on-field performance. An away trip to Everton side is always going to be a tough match but the Magpies did not even show up tonight; simply shambolic. Here are my five thoughts on the match:
1) History says that a team plays harder after their manager is sacked. Why? Well, it’s human nature to improve yourself after knowing that your horrendous play led to someone losing their job. Is it all McClaren’s fault? Most definitely not, but when a team is struggling in pro sports, the ownership cannot fire the players; they will drop the load and blame the coach.
When Steve McClaren was first hired, he said all the right things and promised a top 8 finish in the table. That was always going to be a reach, especially going into the season with Colback, Anita and Tiote as your centre midfielders. However, NUFC have not been outside of the bottom 6 all season; that is simply unacceptable.