Former Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness has explained how the intense passion of the Magpies faithful can prove to be detrimental to the team.
There is no doubting the fact that the Newcastle United fans love their club unconditionally and it is surely difficult for the Magpies’ faithful to witness their beloved side going through such a difficult period over the past few years.
The current state of affairs at Newcastle United is clearly not ideal and the fans have not been afraid to voice their anger towards owner Mike Ashley for not sufficiently backing manager Rafael Benitez in the transfer window this summer.
Due to the pressure from the supporters, Newcastle are expected to strengthen their squad during the final days of the transfer window and it is a huge positive for the club to have a set of fans who care so much.
Graeme Souness most certainly would have experienced the passion of the Newcastle fans first hand after he managed the club between 2004 and 2006 but the Scotsman has astonishingly gone on to claim that the support of the faithful can also be detrimental as it puts the manager as well as players under a lot of pressure.
Souness said, “I think for all three clubs coming up it’s going to be very difficult to stay in that league. For Newcastle the expectation level is enormous up there, I think. And Rafa, too, expects to get more and better players in but that’s not happened for him. Mike Ashley has said he can have every penny that is generated.
“But I’ve been up there at Newcastle and it’s a very hard place to perform when things are not going well. They are so passionate that you are only ever a couple of games away from the roof caving in. They really want their team to do well, but sometimes that passion can show itself in a detrimental way, and that’s what I found up there.
“50,000 people turn up every week to be entertained and see their team winning and, as I say, when it doesn’t happen it’s a difficult place.”