I can’t see Newcastle winning any of their remaining matches

ST JAMES’ PARK was always, during my career, a great place to play, for the wildness of the crowd and the no-holds-barred football from both my team, Manchester United, and Newcastle.

We had some wonderful games against them — crazy ones, really — like the two in the 2002-2003 title-winning season when we won 5-3 at Old Trafford and 6-2 at their place.

And, yes, there were times when they beat us as well, including the 5-0 at St James’ Park in October 1996, the season after we had caught them to win the first Premier League title of my career.

I scored seven goals at St James’ Park, including a hat-trick in the 6-2 game in April 2003 that I treasure as one of my happiest football memories.

Whenever we played Newcastle, even the Kevin Keegan teams of the mid-Nineties, I sensed something different about the club. At United, my United, we had been honed into a ruthless team who played great football but ultimately were there to win matches and titles. At Newcastle they could certainly play on their day, and the crowd was formidable, but there was a weakness — a vulnerability you could seek out.

There was never any middle ground with Newcastle. They were as high as the sky or in a pit of despair. Even the results bore it out. Two months before we lost 5-0 at St James’ Park we beat Newcastle 4-0 in the CharityCharit Shield. I have checkedchecke the Newcastle line-upsup for those two games.games It was an identical XI on b both occasions. NewcastleNew could be an emotionalem wreckage. I don’tdo mean that disparagingly, it just felt that they could either be a brilliant team or a side waiting to be beaten. The culture of the club seems to be the sames and now they arear dropping down theth table like a stone andan in danger of relegation.rel The emotionemotio of the place, well, it mustmus be at fever pitch.

Their manager, John Carver, loves the club. Former team-mates tell me he is a great coach, but I can’t see him winning a game out of his last three.

It is hard for assistants to step up. I worked with many great assistants to Sir Alex Ferguson over the years. Yet sometimes a manager’s second-incommand is more suited to that role than any other. You confide in them, you tell them things you would not tell the manager and they are that bridge between the boss and the players. When the transition to manager occurs, I can see how it is hard for people to adjust their relationships.

I thought Carver got it wrong on Mike Williamson and the accusation that he intentionally got himself sent off against Leicester. I