Magpies given Fergie backing
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson believes Newcastle have emerged as one of his team’s main rivals in what is now a four-horse race for the Premiership title.
Defending champions Arsenal and Chelsea, who appear to have banished the inconsistency which has blighted previous campaigns, have always been in the hunt for honours with the Old Trafford club.
But with Liverpool’s challenge having fallen away Ferguson now considers Sir Bobby Robson’s fourth-placed side to be a major threat.
“It’s probably just the top three now but then Newcastle have a great home record and have a game in hand over Chelsea,” said Ferguson, whose team host the Blues on Saturday.
“If they win that one then they’ll overtake Chelsea. So you have to include Newcastle.
“For anyone else to get involved it would take a mammoth effort.”
United are five points behind leaders Arsenal, who show no signs of relinquishing their crown, but the Old Trafford boss is not concerned by the ground they have to make up.
“Five points may seem a lot but we were 12 points ahead of them five years ago and they overtook us,” he told United’s official website, www.manutd.com.
“We’ve also had the experience of being behind and overtaking Newcastle. So it is possible. What we need to get is consistency.
“Obviously I would like to be first but we have done well to get where we are and it is about where I expected to be after what we’ve been through [with injuries].
“I have said many times it’s a very tough league this year and they don’t come much tougher than Chelsea this Saturday – a side eager to prove their title credentials.”
