Matt - groans of 52,000 fans ‘not nice’

MATT Ritchie believes it takes ‘b ******* ’ to play for Newcastle United at St James’ Park when there is a ‘bad atmosphere’ because when you hear 52,000 Geordies groan, ‘it’s not a nice feeling’.

The 30-year-old quickly endeared himself to supporters with his work-rate and was wellaware of what fans expected of him following his £12m move from Bournemouth in the summer of 2016.

Indeed, before moving to Tyneside, Ritchie spoke to a number of former Newcastle players, who told him as long as he gave everything, supporters would back him.

Ritchie reflected on this in a Q&A with Back of the Net, a Bournemouth fans’ channel, and was asked about the differences between playing at the Vitality Stadium and St James’ - and whether it brought increased pressure and motivation for him.

“Definitely not more motivation. That comes from within, from your manager, from yourself, from all of your team-mates,” he said. “Certainly not more motivation. The atmosphere, I suppose.

“When there’s a good atmosphere at St James’, it’s unbelievable.

“When there’s a bad atmosphere, it takes, excuse me, b ******* to play.

“You’ve got to have belief in yourself and not be afraid to make mistakes because when you hear 52,000 Geordies groan, it’s not a nice feeling but you have to get on with it.”

As Premier League clubs continue to try and figure out a way to get Project Restart off the ground, it is not yet clear when supporters will be able to return to stadiums amid the coronavirus outbreak.