Jack Colback: Newcastle United's '˜phenomenal' fans don't deserve to have their team in the Championship

The Magpies were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season after a turgid campaign.

And Colback - who has committed his future to the club - believes the team wouldn’t have fallen into the Championship if the players had matched the consistency of the supporters’ efforts.

He said: “Fans like this don’t deserve to be in the Championship and the way they supported us throughout the season was phenomenal.

“Too many times we let the fans down and didn’t give performances on a regular basis but credit to them - they were probably the most consistent part of our season.”

The Magpies were backed by a sell-out crowd at St James’s Park for the last game of the season, a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

And after manager Rafa Benitez committed himself to the club last month, signing a new three-year contract, there is a surprising feelgood factor around the city despite the pain of relegation.

With season ticket sales going so well - the club this week announced a sell-out in the Family Area - Colback believes the fans will be full of positivity when the Championship kicks off on August 6.

“To turn out like that on the final day against Tottenham and support a team that were already down the way they did is amazing,” he added to the club’s website.

“The way the season went, you wouldn’t have blamed the fans for not showing up or if there was a negative atmosphere, but they were singing from the start.

“The atmosphere was very positive which was amazing, and the way they got behind the team and the manager in particular was fantastic. I’m sure it will continue into next season.”