Newcastle United played very poorly against Aston Villa on Saturday, but the performance has sparked a wild overreaction from Garth Crooks.
Eddie Howe‘s side were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa, which has allowed Manchester United to jump above Newcastle and into third place. However, Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth means we are still in the driving seat to finish in the top four.
Champions League qualification is still a distinct possibility for the Magpies, which would be a remarkable achievement given the fact we were battling relegation last season.
Howe has done a remarkable job at St James’ Park, with the club making huge strides in the space of a year. The new owners want Newcastle to be in Europe, but they will never have dreamt that Champions League football would be possible in their second full season since the takeover.
Newcastle’s fate is in their own hands, as Toon fans begin to dream about hearing that famous Champions League anthem inside St James’ Park for the first time since 2003.
However, BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks is less upbeat about Europe’s premier competition returning to Tyneside.
Garth Crooks does not think Newcastle are ready for Champions League
As part of his Premier League team of the week, Crooks has included Aston Villa players Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins. And during his justification for picking Mings, the pundit took a strange swipe at Eddie Howe’s side.
“Two things stood out in this fixture: firstly, Aston Villa have been transformed under Unai Emery, and secondly, Newcastle United are not ready for the Champions League even if they do achieve a top-four place,” he wrote.
Based on Saturday’s performance, we are not ready for the Champions League. But what about the other 29 games we have played where we have accumulated 56 points, a tally only bettered by three teams?
It is a complete overreaction from Crooks, who needs to get a bit of perspective. One game does not define a team. And Saturday was more about Aston Villa being good than us being bad. They deserve all of the plaudits.
Whether or not we are ready for Champions League football is irrelevant. We have a genuine chance to qualify, and Howe will be doing all he can to take it.
If we do make it, we will do everything to be as ready as we can for when the competition kicks off next season. But the consistency Newcastle have shown this season shows that we can impress in Europe, especially with the right reinforcements over the summer.
Crooks needs to get some perspective. I don’t see him saying Arsenal aren’t ready for Champions League football after drawing 2-2 with West Ham, at a ground where Newcastle won 5-1 at the other week…
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