Newcastle United should be a top six Premier League club, according to Mick McCarthy.
The Magpies currently sit 15th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone following a 0-0 draw with Fulham on Saturday, but Republic of Ireland manager McCarthy believes that the club’s ambitions should lie a lot higher.
Speaking on Goals on Sunday (Sky Sports Premier League, Sunday December 23rd, 11.30am), he said: “St. James’ Park is a really tough place to play and so they’ve got to get the results up there against the big teams and if they don’t it’s going to be blumming tough.
“Whenever you’ve got one of the bottom six coming to play against you, don’t ever think they’re going to be easy cause they’re fighting for their lives.
“You just think Newcastle should be one of those top ten teams, a top six team, but they’re not earning that right yet, to be quite honest.”
OPINION
McCarthy’s opinion does ring true, but there has to be an acceptance of the damage that Mike Ashley has done to Newcastle United. Theoretically, the Magpies should be a lot further up the Premier League table. They are a huge club in a one team city with a fiercely loyal fanbase and a recent history that includes title challenges and Champions League runs, but at the moment, they simply cannot cut it at that top level. A lack of investment and a tendency to bring in low quality players when they do spend mean that year after year, the best the Toon Army can hope for is survival. Last season’s 10th placed finished was a slightly misleading representation of a very difficult campaign for Rafa Benitez’s side, and by rights they should be in a relegation scrap again this season. At the moment they may be five points clear of danger, but they have an awful run of fixtures on the horizon and confidence will not be high. History means nothing the Championship looms.