He said: “Newcastle has the set-up to be a big club but the problem is most players first go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
“It’s lovely to work at Newcastle – nice people, great crowd and a great stadium.
“But expectations are high and that’s hard. I found it difficult to convince players to join when I was manager but I think Sam is a good appointment for Newcastle.
“He is strong on discipline and it seems that is what they need.
“Some people may not like his style of play but results bring the confidence to play better.
“The fans at Newcastle are the 12th man. They want it so badly and I hope Sam does well for them.”
