NEWCASTLE have volunteered to be relegated from the Premier League, following their 6-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.

As the table stands they would have an excellent chance of avoiding demotion, but the club said it would be for the best if they were to drop down to the second tier to avoid further embarrassment.

They have asked if they can go down straight away, playing their last three fixtures against Championship opponents rather than Premier League teams.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said: “That 6-0 defeat hit us hard. Every last player in our team was crying like a baby in the dressing room and nobody from Liverpool came in to say that they were sorry, even though they must have been able to hear us through the wall.

“If it’s all the same to everyone, we’d prefer to play teams like Doncaster Rovers.”

This is not the first time this season a team has volunteered for relegation – Queens Park Rangers asked to be relegated in September after seven games of the 2012-13 season but were refused permission.

Following the draw with Reading that confirmed their demotion, a smiling Harry Redknapp said: “We had to do it the hard way but we got there in the end.”