Former Newcastle United striker Les Ferdinand has urged fans to be realistic about this season.
Ferdinand concedes expectations are skyrocketing.
All of a sudden, there's an expectation that comes with Newcastle now," he told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast. That they should be knocking on first place. People think they should be up there and I don't think they're quite there yet.
Still, there's a lot that needs to be done with the team. I think another top-four finish would be a good season for them. Everyone's having a panic because they've lost against Liverpool, they lost against Man City. Two tough games, but I think they're doing ok.
Eddie Howe made a couple of changes to the team, spent a bit of money and it takes time for players to gel. There's just an expectation with Newcastle at the moment that they should be pushing on."