Jamie Carragher told Monday Night Football on Sky Sports that he sees Newcastle in the same bracket as West Ham and Everton in regards to where they should be challenging in the table.
The TV pundit feels that all three clubs ‘never fully believe’ they are going to win something, but a team like Everton now have ‘hope’ because of Carlo Ancelotti, whereas Newcastle don’t under Steve Bruce.
Carragher was involved in a heated debate about Newcastle with Gary Neville, with the former centre-back using both Everton and West Ham as examples during his argument that those in the North East don’t have a manager who can take them forward.
“But Newcastle fans, and as a club, can never be happy to be in the Premier League, they need to be a presence,” said Carragher.
“I look at Newcastle like I look at a West Ham or the way I look at an Everton. Where they should be challenging Europe, top-eight, those positions really.
“They never fully believe those clubs that they are going to win something, but they have hope. Right now, Everton have hope because of Ancelloti.
“What Rafa Benitez gave Newcastle supporters is hope that if there is a takeover then we have a Champions League-winning manager. We have a top manager, who can take us forward.”
Both West Ham and Everton are sitting in a European place, at this moment in time, and they have real hope that something seriously good can come of their season.
There’s no doubt that those on Merseyside have been more ambitious than West Ham, but both are heading in the same direction.
But up in Newcastle, it’s doom and gloom once again, as the Magpies face another relegation battle and calls for Bruce to lose his job.
Bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United have won only one Premier League this season and it so happened to come against Newcastle, who aren’t showing any signs of improvements.
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