Tim Sherwood has claimed that the ‘perception’ is that Newcastle United are doing ‘a lot better than they actually are’ this season.
The former Premier League boss added that Eddie Howe will be ‘under pressure’ if things don’t change at Newcastle.
Over the weekend, the cash-rich club recorded a draw against newly-promoted and manageress Bournemouth.
It was the fifth time in seven games that the Magpies had walked away with a point, despite in some cases, especially at the weekend, dominating games where they should have done a lot better.
A lot of money has been spent at St James’ Park under the new Saudi-led ownership and expectations are starting to rise.
That was touched upon by Sherwood, who aimed a dig at the club by stating that they aren’t doing as well as most think, as he told Premier League Productions.
“The performances have been okay,” said Sherwood. “But it boils down to getting points on the board and getting breathing space for a manager who, if he continues, will be under pressure.
“I think he’s a good manager. He did brilliantly last season. But you know the expectations up in Newcastle now. The fans will tell you and the board expect a lot more.
“It’s a dis-jointed season (with the World Cup in the middle), but they need to start winning football matches as soon as possible.
“The perception is that they are doing a lot better than they actually are. Results don’t look like that. They have a lot of hard work to do, but I am sure Eddie is the right man to get them on track.”
TOP HALF FINISH WOULD BE PROGRESSION
The long-term aim is for Newcastle to win trophies and to be playing Champions League football on a weekly basis.
But that’s not going to happen yet, so the short-term aim is to continue their progression.
Securing a top-half finish this season would count towards that, so given that they only have one win from seven and are sitting tenth, then there shouldn’t be an overreaction.
It also needs to be noted that they have also played Liverpool and Manchester City during these opening stages of the new season.
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