Tim Krul urges Newcastle team-mates to stand up and fight as pressure grows on McClaren

Tim Krul admitted Newcastle's players need to stand up and be counted

NEWCASTLE goalkeeper Tim Krul has called on his team-mates to be "real men" after their awful start to the season.

 

Steve McClaren's side have not won in the Premier League this season, they are second from bottom in the table and tomorrow face Chelsea on the back of being dumped out of the Capital One Cup 1-0 at home by championship Sheffield Wednesday - who made 10 changes to their side.

And as the pressure grows on manager McClaren, Krul insisted it is time the players stand up and be counted.

 

And without pulling any punches, Krul chose the club's official website to launch his rallying call.

He said: "Everybody needs to grow now. We need to come out and show we are real men.

 

"Chelsea and Manchester City are two massive games and we have to show that we've got the fight for it."

Reflecting on the defeat by defeat by a deflected goal from Wednesday's Lewis McGugan, Krul said: "We need to be better than that, as a team and individually.

"Everybody has to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they gave everything. If not, they have to start straight away, because what we are doing at the moment is really not good enough.

"A couple of players put in good performances but there were also some really bad ones.

"The team we put out was more than good enough to win this game, and they didn't really trouble us. But if you don't score, you give them hope. That's what we did and they took advantage.

 

Steve McClaren is under growing pressure as Newcastle are yet to win in the league

"The goal was just a long ball which dropped down and the shot got a deflection to take it in. That's their game - the Championship long ball - but we knew that and should have dealt with it so much better."

Newcastle face Chelsea tomorrow but their only win of the campaign was against League Two Northampton in the previous round of the Capital One Cup.

"It's confidence," he said. "We are doing alright in some areas but the end product just isn't there.

"You have to be honest enough to say that we are getting up there and playing some good stuff to get there, but it's all about the final quality in the final third, which just isn't happening.

"I'm not just blaming the forwards though because we need to look at the whole team. Defensively we haven't been on top form yet - nobody has been."

 

Lewis McGugan celebrates after scoring for Sheffield Wednesday in Newcastle's latest defeat

McClaren is confident a single win would turn around their season.

Looking ahead to the Chelsea clash, he told NUFCTV: "Do we fear it? Do we say we don't want to play in that? We have got to. We have got to get people ready for Saturday, ready to fight, and one result turns it around.

"You have got to say and you have got to believe - which I do - that could be Saturday."

And midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who won the title at PSV Eindhoven last season, said: "I'm going to stay positive and I hope the rest of the team stays positive too or else it is going to go wrong.

"Sometimes I have the idea that we play with a lot of pressure on us because results are not going well.

"But we must play free, be braver and make things happen."