Garth Crooks with absolutely bizarre comment on Newcastle United after weekend events | OneFootball

Garth Crooks has picked his best 11 performers from the weekend’s action.

The Premier League team of the weekend that has most impressed him.

Included in his top 11 are two players from the game at Villa Park.

Garth Crooks explains why he picked these two players from the match at Villa Park in his Premier League team of the week and then the full eleven are listed below. The BBC Sport man with a very bizarre comment on Newcastle United…

Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa):

“This was an impressive performance by Aston Villa.

“Two things stood out in this fixture:

“Firstly, Aston Villa have been transformed under Unai Emery.

“Secondly, Newcastle United are not ready for the Champions League even if they do achieve a top-four place.

“Villa, on the other hand, look like a side who have unravelled all the complicated football and play the simple game.

“The player who seems to have benefited under this new regime is Tyrone Mings. The England international looks as good as I’ve seen him for some time. Simply doing what he does best, and that is just to compete. If he keeps playing like that a swift return to the England set-up could be on the horizon.”

I have absolutely no problem with Garth Crooks picking two Villa players for his team of the week and no Newcastle players, obviously!

Neither would I raise a single eyebrow at Garth Crooks raving about Aston Villa’s performance on Saturday and / or criticising Newcastle’s display, BUT….

To say though that ‘Newcastle United are not ready for the Champions League even if they do achieve a top-four place’ is absolutely bizarre.

What a ridiculous thing to say based on one match.

If this had been the latest in a long line of poor Newcastle United performances and results, then fair enough.

However, Eddie Howe’s side came here on a five match winning run, three of them away from home, including becoming the first Premier League club to ever go behind to Brentford in a game at their home stadium and come back to win. This recent run also including a battering of Man U, where Nick Pope didn’t have a serious save to make and Newcastle United should have at least doubled that 4-0 scoreline.

When Garth Crooks says not ready for Champions League, what does it even mean? Not ready to win it? Well I don’t think any Newcastle fan is claiming that will happen if we did qualify.

Why shouldn’t Newcastle be relatively competitive in the CL if qualifying? Look how woeful Chelsea have been this season and yet they have still made the quarter-finals and if you listen to some of the deluded journalists and pundits, they supposedly still have a great chance of getting to the semis!

Garth Crooks actually selects three Man U players this weekend after a win over a Forest side who are terrible at the moment, Forest losing seven and drawing three of their last ten PL matches now. Yet Garth Crooks raving about them.

As I say, Newcastle United battered Man U two weeks ago, Brentford hammered them 4-0 earlier this season, whilst Liverpool won 7-0 against them last month.

Yet is Garth Crooks declaring Man U ‘are not ready for the Champions League’? I think not.

I don’t need to tell any of you but just in case any outsiders are reading, Eddie Howe very quickly got Newcastle United competitive last season from a desperate position he inherited, the third best form in the Premier League in the entire second half of last season, then more of the same this season. NUFC big favourites to qualify for the Champions League along with Man City, Arsenal and Man U.

If Newcastle do qualify for the Champions League, they have a very good base squad with some outstanding individuals, a great team / squad ethic, plus there would be some serious signings then added in the summer.

I’m not saying Newcastle United would win the Champions League BUT no reason to think they would be disgraced.

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa):

“I hadn’t compared Ollie Watkins to Callum Wilson before, but like Southgate the fixture between Aston Villa and Newcastle presented the perfect opportunity.

“The England manager, watching from the stands, must have been left in no doubt that Watkins’ form has blossomed since the World Cup and Wilson’s has suffered. Two well-taken goals and Watkins walks off the pitch to a standing ovation.

“I would have been looking for the hat-trick myself, but it seems that the modern game is all about preservation. Watkins is in a rich vein of form and his manager will do whatever it takes to protect his top striker between now and the end of the season. Bringing him off to rousing applause might not replace the hat-trick, but it came mighty close.”

Garth Crooks Premier League team of the week:

David de Gea (Manchester United)

Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)

Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)

John Stones (Manchester City)

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Harry Wilson (Fulham)

Julio Enciso (Brighton)

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace):

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth)

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Stats from BBC Sport:

Aston Villa 3 Newcastle 0 – Saturday 15 April 12.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Villa:

Ramsey 11, Watkins 64, 83

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Villa 52% (55%) Newcastle 48% (45%)

Total shots were Villa 15 (8) Newcastle 8 (3)

Shots on target were Villa 6 (2) Newcastle 2 (1)

Corners were Villa 7 (3) Newcastle 2 (1)

Crowd: 42,055 (NUFC 3,000)

Referee: John Brooks

Newcastle United:

Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn (Targett 68), Bruno, Joelinton (Anderson 80), Murphy (Wilson 56), Willock (Longstaff 68), Gordon (Almiron 56), Isak

Unused Subs:

Dubravka, Lascelles, Ritchie, Manquillo

(Match Report – Is this proof that Newcastle United have been found out? Read HERE)

(After massive Aston Villa spending – Newcastle United defeat isn’t really a big surprise – Read HERE)