'Gladly': Alan Shearer says he'd be happy for Newcastle United to finish in the bottom half of Premier League on one condition
Newcastle United are struggling to keep pace with the top performers in the Premier League this season, and an annoying habit of conceding goals and dropping points from winning positions is a huge concern.
On one hand, Newcastle are quite fortunate in that the league is quite compacted so far this season, and a decent run could see them shoot up the rankings, but unless these issues are ironed out quickly, that's unlikely.
It's a different story in the cup competitions, however, with the Magpies into another Carabao Cup semi-final, and despite a couple of mishaps, still doing well in the Champions League.
Newcastle's FA Cup campaign gets underway next month, but we're not holding our breath on that one, given our opponents are Bournemouth and we don't tend to do great against Eddie Howe's old side.
Alan Shearer would accept a bottom-half finish this season
Getting into Europe again next season is essential to continue the club's growth, and perhaps Newcastle's best hope of doing that is retaining the Carabao Cup, and Alan Shearer has told Betfair (via The Chronicle) that if Newcastle do that, he'd be happy for them to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League.
“But look, they're in the semi-final of the League Cup and doing alright in the Champions League. It's the league form where we've got to try and get into the top half.
"Having said that, if you give me winning the Carabao Cup again, I'd gladly finish in the bottom half."
Would you take a bottom-half finish if we won a cup?
We aren't so keen on a bottom-half finish
The Carabao Cup would give us a route into Europe. It obviously won't be the Champions League, but unless we somehow manage to win that competition, that's already starting to look like a lost cause.
As for whether we'd be happy with a bottom-half finish? Probably not if we're being honest. It's not a good look, although Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have done it and their reputations have survived, so maybe it's survivable.
We'd be happy with a 10th-place finish if we brought home more silverware. Just inside the top half with a cup wouldn't be a disaster.
