Don Hutchison insists Newcastle’s poor recent run of form is nothing to worry about as their promotion bid took another dent on Monday.
The former Premier League midfielder took to his personal Twitter account following the game to remind people that the Championship is a ‘brutal’ league to play in, and that Newcastle were still well-positioned for promotion.
He said: “People losing their minds over Newcastle form lately. Believe me, it’s a brutal league to play in. Rafa [Benitez] has built a champ side and are five clear.”
Newcastle succumbed to their second Championship defeat in three games with a 3-1 loss away at Ipswich, which left them seven points adrift of league leaders Brighton in the title race.
But they remain six points clear of third-placed Reading with just three games to go, meaning the remaining automatic promotion place is still very much in Newcastle’s hands.
Brighton had already secured promotion to the Premier League with their 2-1 win over Wigan on Monday.
Nevertheless, Newcastle’s stuttering campaign of late could see them miss out on the Championship title, having won just two of their last eight league matches.
Their cause has not been helped by the loss of several key players to injury, including top goalscorer Dwight Gayle and defensive rock Ciaran Clark.
Gayle has scored 22 goals for Newcastle this season, while the late absence of Clark has seen the Magpies struggle defensively.
Both players are currently nursing injuries, although they could be back in action ahead of the end of the campaign, much to the delight of Newcastle fans.