Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer insists it will take a miracle for them to get in the top four of the Premier League.
The Magpies are only a handful of points away from fourth spot at present, with Tottenham occupying that position.
However, Shearer believes a recent downturn in form coupled with an improvement from Liverpool spells danger for Newcastle.
He told William Hill: I think it would be a miracle if Newcastle were to get into the top four.
The job that Eddie Howe is doing with the squad that he has got, and when you compare it to all of the others in the top four race that he is battling against, to be in third/fourth/fifth for most of the season is a remarkable achievement.
If they were to finish in any European place then that would be classed as a great season because looking back to where they were and where they are, it's a huge, giant step in such a small amount of time.
It's going to take patience and little bit of understanding, but the more transfer windows they have and as they bring in better players, the better it will be. And that is going to happen, so it is only going to be a matter of time."