Mike Williamson admits the Newcastle United players deserved a rollicking following their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
It was only last April when the Magpies suffered a 6-0 battering against Liverpool at St James’ Park, which was their heaviest home defeat since 1925. Although two of Tottenham’s four goals came in the last 10 minutes in midweek, this latest defeat was almost as damaging, particularly on the back of two straight losses.
Any thoughts of a top-six finish now appear to have been cast aside by Newcastle fans, who have seen their team fall eight points behind Everton, who also have a game in hand. And whilst a mid-table position should still be secured without too much trouble, and this would be an improvement on last season, it would still be a disappointment.
Alan Pardew dragged his players in for extra training on the Thursday, even though they now face a wait for their next match as the FA Cup takes centre stage this weekend. And the defender admits he and his team-mates have let their manager down, as well as their long-suffering supporters and everyone else connected to the club.
“We’ve seen that side to him (Pardew) before,” he told The Northern Echo. “Every now and again, when it is necessary, he tears into us, but there needed to be some harsh words said because he felt it wasn’t good enough from the players on the pitch. First, you do it for yourself, then the manager and the fans and the club. But, yeah, we have let the manager down. We have let the fans down and we have let ourselves down.”
