Mark Hughes believes Newcastle United supporters expect too much from their club when talking about Steve Bruce's position as boss.
Bruce 's side currently sit in 15th-place in the Premier League table and have not won in the competition since the 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on December 12.
A 1-0 defeat to rock-bottom Sheffield United earlier this month was the lowest of the lows for the Magpies, who were also beaten 3-0 by Arsenal recently after a second-half capitulation.
Newcastle travel to Aston Villa this evening and former Premier League manager Hughes has offered his verdict on the club's situation.
The former Manchester United striker believes the expectation on Tyneside actually 'overruns their potential'.
"I always look at Newcastle and think it's quite a unique club, as in the expectation is way above where it needs to be, really," Hughes said on BBC Sport's Football Focus.
"Relative to the amount of success in terms of major trophies, they haven't won anything in a long, long time. That doesn't lower the expectation of the city and the crowd that go to St. James' Park.
"Steve knows that, he's a local lad, and it's a huge job for him because he'll be delighted to be at his local job and he'll want to make a success of it.
"But I think sometimes the expectation at Newcastle overruns maybe their potential."
Bruce himself insisted it is 'no fluke' that he is still in charge at St James' Park as he seeks to turn things around swiftly.
"I have got a belief in my ability to take us through this. When you manage nearly 500 games in the Premier League, it is no fluke that I am still here," the Newcastle boss told reporters on Zoom.
"I have got the equipment to handle what comes my way and make sure that we finish in the Premier League and try and finish above where we finished last year."
