Stuart Pearce believes Newcastle United have “every chance” of earning a Champions League spot this season. As it stands, the Magpies will remain third in the league on Christmas Day - an unimaginable feat for most Toon supporters at the start of the campaign.
Another shutout victory on home soil saw Chelsea - a direct rival for European football - put to the sword by Eddie Howe’s men. The Blues are in freefall after losing their third consecutive Premier League fixture.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have also shown frailties in recent weeks, creating a window of opportunity for Newcastle - who boast the joint-best defensive record in the division. Speaking as an ambassador for grassroots investment programme ‘Pitching In’, former England defender Pearce - who had a two-year spell on Tyneside in the late 90s - thinks the Magpies can take advantage.
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“I think they have got every chance, especially considering the lack of consistency from the big six,” he said. “Apart from Arsenal and Manchester City, I think it is fair game. One or two people doubted Eddie Howe a couple of years ago. He has come back to Newcastle, and all he has done is enhance his reputation.
"People are too easy to cast managers off and write them off too soon, and maybe we saw that in the summer with Gareth Southgate. But Eddie is a good coach, no doubt about that, and he has got Newcastle going in the right direction. I thought Champions League football was a pipe dream in the summer.
"Trippier and Burn were inspired signings that have got their heart in Newcastle, certainly with Dan Burn coming from that area. There is no doubt in my mind that they will sustain what they have done. They might even go into the transfer market in January because of the financial situation at the club and get even stronger."
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