Newcastle’s greatest player and rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns has questioned whether the problems at his old club don’t go back almost a decade.

Speaking on Triple M NRL, Johns was also worried about the culture of the club after coach Rick Stone’s sacking.

“I don’t know, but they’ve lost the way they play,” Johns said.

“They’ve lost the culture within the place.

“I don’t think they know what they stand for.

“And I’ve always liked Brian Smith [ex-coach], but when he came in and did the cleanout then [2007], has that set a rot that the club hasn’t recovered from?

“He’d done the dirty work, and he needed to do that.

“He was hammered privately and publicly but he did what he had to do.”