Staying united is the key to staying in the top flight

RAFA Benitez says Newcastle must stay united to remain in the Premier League.

Benitez’s side have failed to win in any of their first ten matches and the mood on Tyneside is either very flat or mutinous depending on who you speak to.

The resolve of last season – when fans were firmly behind the survival effort, even during a losing run that saw Newcastle slip into the bottom three – feels like it has drained away after a summer of negativity that has extended into Autumn’s dreadful run.

Fans are training their fire at Mike Ashley for broken promises and at the failure to land the reinforcements that Newcastle so sorely needed.

Plans for two months of protests before home and away games were announced by the Magpie Group on Friday and they will coincide with a planned boycott of the Wolves match.

It is a difficult situation for Benitez, who has counted the support of the fans as one of the main reasons for staying at the club and inspiring last year’s impressive reversal of fortunes.

He wants to see another good atmosphere for the Watford game and says United ‘need’ their supporters. “To play at home for us is always an extra motivation,” he told NUFC TV.

“I hope that our fans will realise that we need them. We need them from the first minute until the last minute so when they are behind the team the players feel as though they get confidence from the fans and they can perform better. We are talking about, for example, in the next one Watford – who are a good team.

“They are doing really well so we will need everybody and hopefully we can keep the same intensity and create the same chances that we did against Brighton and we will score goals, for sure.”

When the fixtures were announced back in the summer United might have targeted this pair of home games as a chance to put points on the board but Watford and Bournemouth have been two of the form sides in the entire division. Newcastle lost to both teams last year at St James’ Park and have lost five straight games to Watford, so it will be far from easy against two good teams.

But Benitez believes unity and support can help his struggling side. “It was amazing to see the fans make the long trip to Southampton and to support the team,” he said.

“It’s extra special for all of us but especially the players. We talk about being united and that is the key to stay in the Premier League.”

United will have reached the half-way mark in the season by December 26 – the 19-game mark – and any hope of getting to 20 points looks totally unrealistic.

My somewhat optimistic verdict above would put them on 16 points, which would mean work to do in the second half of the season to get closer to the 35-point mark which should keep them up.

But I’ve only allowed for three defeats here – and Newcastle must pick up four wins between now and Christmas, one way or another.

Home form looks crucial given the matches to come, and that run of Huddersfield and then Fulham will have plenty of pressure heaped on it if Newcastle don’t spring a shock or two.

The terrible start has left Newcastle with little wiggle room if they’re to avoid dropping into the Championship.

I hope that our fans will realise that we need them. We need them from the first minute until the last minute