Former Newcastle United owner Sir John Hall has slaughtered the club's current players.
"The table doesn't lie," said the local property developer who built Newcastle into a footballing power in the mid-90s.
He added: "It's been desperately poor all season - and the worst thing was they didn't even appear to try on Sunday.
"I'm not going to pull any punches. This current side is rubbish. Useless.
"There has to be a clean sweep and the club has to be rebuilt from top to bottom.
"I'm as baffled as anyone with the signings of players like Joey Barton.
"Then, again, Sam Allardyce said he could put him right.
"As for Michael Owen, he's had too many injuries and has never seemed to be on the ball.
"Now we are saddled with a huge wage bill. The lesson here is obvious: You can't take on yesterday's men and hope to survive. That's for a club that has no ambition."