Former Newcastle United striker Craig Bellamy has slammed his former supporters by claiming that they are expecting too much from the team, who he says it will never be equal to the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool.
Newcastle are one of the biggest supported teams up in the north-east of England. They have a stadium with more than 50,000 seater capacity, but find no struggle in filling the seats. Such is the level of support in the north-east that Newcastle have been recognised as one of the big clubs in England.
The incredibly passionate supporters were recently heavily critical of manager Alan Pardew after the team’s poor start to the season. Pardew was on the verge of being sacked from his role during the intense pressure from the supporters, but the former West Ham manager has turned things around in the last few weeks. Newcastle recently won their fourth consecutive match after beating West Brom.
Prior to this match, they have beaten the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham. These good results will force Newcastle fans to expect much more according to their former striker Bellamy. The former Wales international recently retired from football. During a stellar career, he played at Newcastle from 2001 to 2005.
“I remember finished fifth up there (in Newcastle) and that wasn’t good enough. It’s a great place to be if you’re winning but they (Newcastle supporters) always expect more.After beating Liverpool and after beating Spurs, fans will come here expecting to win. I have a lot of respect for Newcastle.It’s a great club to play for but they have this idea that they should be bigger than Liverpool or just as big as Liverpool or Manchester United – they aren’t,” said the onetime Newcastle striker in statements that sure are to fire up the Newcastle faithful.