Gloom on the Tyne

WATCHING Newcastle United battle out a goalless draw with Portsmouth on Monday night, in what was billed a 'must-win' game, it was hard to see how the Magpies will avoid the dreaded drop.

They may have one of the most passionate sets of supporters in the country, a manager adored by the public and players worth millions of pounds...

But, in my view, they don't have what it takes to survive in the Premiership this season.

For some weeks now, I have felt that Newcastle were the team most in danger in the bottom half of the table. They have almost sleep-walked their way into the bottom three.

And now that they are in the danger zone, I can't see how they will get out of it.

The players on their books are not the type you want fighting a relegation battle. Alan Smith and Mark Viduka apart, just who else has spent time fighting in the trenches?

The squad is all quantity and little quality. Barely any thought appears to have gone into the signings made in recent months - Ryan Taylor and Kevin Nolan, for example, were added in January but failed to make the starting XI against Pompey.

Elsewhere, Michael Owen is the shadow of the player he once was. Viduka looks unfit. Damien Duff runs fast but offers little else. The defence looks suspect (and without a left-back if Jose Enrique is suspended or injured). The least said about the woeful Danny Guthrie, the better.

Their run-in isn't great. Away to Liverpool followed by home matches with Middlesbrough (the game means as much to them as it does the Magpies) and Fulham, with a trip to Aston Villa rounding things off.

I can see Hull City and Sunderland each carving out one more win, which means Newcastle would need seven points from these fixtures to be sure of survival.

It's not happening.

Newcastle's luck has run out. The famous Toon Army should dig out their maps and plot their journeys to Peterborough and Plymouth. The Championship beckons.