Newcastle United are currently trailing Championship league leaders Brighton and Hove Albion by seven points.
Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher offered high praise for Chris Hughton’s Seagulls side, when writing his regular column for the Daily Mail, highlighting their relatively small budget compared to some of the Championship’s so-called bigger clubs as evidence of how well they have actually done.
Brighton have already secured promotion to the Premier League, and most neutrals will be pulling for the south coast outfit to do well in the top flight next season.
Newcastle will join Hughton’s men in the Premier League next season if they win just one of their final three games, and Rafa Benitez will be hoping that his side can wrap things up tonight when they host Preston North-End at St James’ Park.
If the Toon do manager to secure promotion, it will merely be a case of the Spaniard’s side meeting their expectations, whilst the Seagulls deserve great credit for how they have performed, especially when last season’s disappointment is considered.
And Carragher explained how the difference in financial firepower between the two clubs just goes to show how well Chris Hughton has performed in his role as Seagulls boss, when writing his regular column for the Daily Mail:
Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton
“Nobody at the club is more deserving than the manager. The job he has done is remarkable. Brighton’s players would have been shattered by the disappointment they suffered of missing out on promotion 12 months ago and they had to compete with a rival as formidable as Newcastle, who have a Champions League-winning manager. Newcastle spent heavily and had a Premier League wage bill to boot but still Brighton would not be kept at bay and Hughton has enabled them to fulfil their ambition.”
The Championship is one of the hardest divisions in which to compete in world football. And if Newcastle can join Brighton in securing automatic promotion tonight, they will both head into next season’s Premier League campaign in fine spirits.
Hughton will once again have to be smart in his recruitment during the summer, however, whilst Benitez will likely have a much larger transfer budget with which to spend.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
