Mick Quinn fires shots at Aston Villa ahead of Newcastle showdown
By Amir Mir
Mick Quinn has fired shots at Aston Villa by stating he hopes Newcastle can compound more misery on the struggling club.
Former striker Quinn urged the Magpies to show Villa that while they are “plummeting to League One” his former side are heading back to the Premier League.
Steve Bruce’s men have been in woeful form in 2017, picking up only one point, which has all but ended their promotion chances.
As a result, they are now seven points above the relegation zone as they head to the north east having suffered four defeats on the bounce.
By contrast, their opponents are leading the Championship by one point and will be looking to extend their lead on second-placed Brighton with a win against Villa.
Here was Quinn providing his verdict on Villa ahead of the Monday night clash.
“Newcastle United still owe Aston Villa one,” Quinn wrote in the Chronicle. “I, like most Newcastle fans, will never forget those Villa fans celebrating the 0-0 draw at Villa Park last May which all-but condemned the Magpies to relegation.
“They need to compound Villa’s misery by putting Steve Bruce’s side to the sword.
“A second demotion in as many seasons seems unthinkable, but Newcastle could make fans of the Second City club start to look nervously over their shoulders if they are taken apart on Tyneside.
“Now it’s time for us to show them that while they’re plummeting towards League One, we’re heading in the opposite direction back to the Premier League.”
Both Villa and Newcastle suffered relegation from the Premier League last season and the duo have spent a considerable amount of money to make an instant return to the promise land.
The Midlands outfit spent over £80million, while their rivals splashed out on over £50million on players.
However, it is Rafa Benitez’ side that are leading the race against the former European champions, and by some considerable margin.
The north east club are a mammoth 30 points ahead of Villa, but most importantly five points ahead of third-placed Huddersfield as a return to the top tier is looking likely.
In other Aston Villa news, Paul Merson has delivered his verdict on the club’s decline and compared them to a League Two side.
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