Andy Cole: Newcastle United’s £47m summer spend could amount to nothing but another relegation fight

Former striker Andy Cole believes that this weekend’s Premier League game against Watford is already a must-win for Newcastle United and fears Steve McClaren has tough times ahead.

As I left Old Trafford last month after watching two of my former teams contest a 0-0 draw, I was more optimistic about the prospects of the United from Newcastle rather than Manchester.

My former coach Steve McClaren had frustrated Manchester United and his team kept a clean sheet. They looked organised, hard to beat and, to me, set for a mid-table finish.

PSV Eindhoven’s best two players from last season came face-to-face in that game, with Georginio Wijnaldum, one of Newcastle’s big summer signings more impressive. Comfortable on the ball, tough and with an attacking instinct, he was technically excellent like the top Dutch footballers.

He’s struggled since and it does take time for a player to get used to the Premier League as Memphis Depay will attest.

Another big Newcastle signing Alexsandar Mitrovic had his moments in that game and hit the bar. He, too, has struggled since. He hasn’t helped himself, getting booked twice in two games and sent off against Arsenal for a stupid tackle on Francis Coquelin. Newcastle knew it would be tough at home to Arsenal; it would become almost impossible with ten men. Mitrovic may think he’s endearing himself to fans by charging around but trust me, he’ll do much better by scoring goals.

Bottom of the table without a win in five and with only two goals, Newcastle are struggling.

I watched them at West Ham on Monday and they created nothing and didn’t work the opposing goalkeeper. That’s West Ham, not Chelsea or Man City who they’ll meet after playing at home to promoted Watford on Saturday. That is already a must win because sadly, despite spending £47million, they look little different from last season.

Newcastle started last season badly, then rose to fourth by December, going on to finish the season poorly after Alan Pardew had left for Crystal Palace.

Having worked closely with him, I have faith that McClaren will turn it around. Steve arrived mid-season at Old Trafford in 1998-99 with the task of replacing the very popular assistant manager Brian Kidd. Steve’s style was different, but he quickly won over sceptical players.

Steve’s a thinker and while he wasn’t afraid to voice an opinion, nor to listen to the opinions of his players, he wasn’t a ranter. Training bubbled with enthusiasm under him, everyone was on their toes as he mixed in fresh ideas with a variety of drills and games. He’d interject with his thoughts about how we could improve in games. I liked him, we all did. We won the treble with him and beat Newcastle in the FA Cup final.

They were well supported that day as they always are, despite not winning a major trophy since 1969. Newcastle deserve so much better, I’d love them to win a trophy. There’s not a team in world football who are as well supported and yet haven’t won anything for so long. With 50,000 average crowds, they’re better supported than any Italian team, than huge Spanish clubs like Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla.

It’s not just their home fans – they sell out away ends all over, and that having travelled further than almost every other set of fans. After Sunderland, who have also yet to win, the nearest Premier League club to Newcastle is over a three-hour drive away in Manchester. I bet Newcastle fans were delighted when Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth were promoted, three more really long trips.

I’ve lived in several cities, but never one where the fortunes of one football team dominates so much. The fans are crazy for their team to the point that it can become claustrophobic for players. Those supporters were great with me, I respected them deeply and I loved my time there. Which player would not want to be respected by the fans who pay their wages, especially if one of them had a tattoo of your head on his leg!

It was like living in a goldfish bowl. I’d go for a meal with my wife and sit in the corner of a restaurant. The waiter would come over, take our order and then ask for any inside news from St James’ Park. Then ask me to go in the kitchen to talk where the chefs wanted to grill me, rather than the food, about the team performances. That’s fine now and then, but if you play in a one-club city you know about it every day.

I was at a good club with a good manager Kevin Keegan and a good chairman, Sir John Hall. They knew the area and understood it, they got Tyneside buzzing. Steve McClaren shares this trait, though his ultimate boss Mike Ashley had been a disappointment who has antagonised fans with penny pinching and a lack of ambition.

He’s a very successful businessman, but he’s not a very successful club owner. But let’s not forget that he’s also a rarity in the Premier League, a self-made English owner who can’t be expected to compete with foreign oligarchies and sovereign wealth funds by selling trainers from warehouses on the edge of British cities.

Steve will set his teams up with a system which will work but while I have faith in his talents, I fear that Newcastle are in for a long, tough, season.