#3 Newcastle United
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A club of Newcastle's fan base should not even be contemplating relegation from the top flight, let alone a stint in the Championship. Blessed with an illustrious past featuring the likes of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, current owner Mike Ashley has rightly received plenty of ire from the supporters for the club’s current situation.
With a stadium capacity of over 50,000, St. James Park has the setting in place to grow into one of the most intimidating atmospheres around Europe. Despite the loosening of purse strings in the last couple of years, the return on investment is hardly visible (although signings like Dwight Gayle and Jonjo Shelvey inspire hope that lessons are being learned from past mistakes).
Premier league standings of 16th, 10th, 15th and 18th at the last four times of asking, tells the whole story. Alan Pardew, despite plenty of promise after a 5th place finish in 2011-12, eventually faded out.
The appointment of Rafael Benitez looks like a masterstroke – but until Newcastle establishes itself as a solid mid-table club, at the very least, you can expect their name to keep cropping up amongst the list of underachievers.
