Simon Jordan delivers Newcastle United home truths after 'underwhelming' start to the season

It’s Newcastle’s first full season under the majority ownership of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and head coach Eddie Howe has strengthened his squad with over £200million of new signings made in 2022.

But United have won just one of their opening seven matches in the Premier League this season, drawing five.

And Jordan was asked whether Newcastle were ‘flattering to deceive’ given the investment and expectations.

The talkSPORT pundit, who has been critical of Newcastle and their owners in the past, refrained from doing so this time as he praised the club’s transfer business and approach.

“[Kieran Trippier] has been an absolute revelation, so have some of the other players, I thought they’ve bought well,” he told talkSPORT.

"People are going to compare the situation against Bournemouth because they’ve just drawn a game and they didn’t play brilliantly in that game.

“I think that’s because players like Allan Saint-Maximin are so important to them that they’ve got to build a more balanced team but I don’t think they are flattering to deceive, I think that people who are projecting what Newcastle are going to achieve, including that wally Jim White who has bet me £1000 that they are going to finish sixth in the league – and I’ll take that money in advance Jim if you want to pay it now – are unrealistic.

"Newcastle are building, going through the gears, they’re an attacking offensively, easy on the eye, well-balanced side and I enjoy watching them.

"I think there's just a bit of reality stepping in about what people expect them to do and what they're capable of doing.

"They’ve not got Callum Wilson, I know they’ve bought the boy [Alexander] Isak and they’ve got other players in the mix that they’ve spent a lot of money on, I think that Newcastle are going in the right direction."

Jordan went on to remind supporters how far the club has progressed over the last 12 months.

“I do hope that there isn’t rumblings from Newcastle about people within their fan base not being particularly happy because this time last year they would have bitten their own arms off to have a different ownership, a different direction and a different manager and they’ve got all that so be patient,” he added.

“Newcastle are going in the right direction on many, many fronts and despite the fact that they’ve not won as many games as people would have expected them to have done, in fact they’ve won very few, but they’ve been very, very engaging in all the games that they’ve played and given most of the sides they’ve played, specifically Manchester City and Liverpool and absolute run for their money.

"I think just be patient Newcastle, I’m enjoying watching them, I’m enjoying the development of the team, I’m pleasantly surprised by the manner in which they’ve operated and I think they’ve set themselves out for a launch pad for a building of a football club that can compete over the years so, no, I don't think they’ve flattered to deceive and no I’m not going to pile in like people think I would because it’s Newcastle.”