Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett insists the club should have never found themselves battling relegation last season.

Despite a good start to the campaign, things went pear-shaped for the Magpies after John Carver took the reins in January.

There was a point when it looked like Newcastle would be certainties for relegation and only a 2-0 victory over West Ham United on the final day of the season meant that the Magpies were able to hold on to their top flight status.

Now Dummett has admitted that Newcastle should never have found themselves in such a precarious position and has insisted that the players have to take responsibility for the sharp decline.

The full-back told the Chronicle: "This club should never be in the position we have been for the last three months.

"I think us as players have got ourselves to blame. Luckily, we haven't gone down and we need to build in the summer with new players and make sure we don't get in this position anymore."