Steve McClaren: Newcastle is not a bonkers club

Steve McClaren during Newcastle training ahead of their clash with Tottenham

Steve McClaren has hit back as the club’s critics by saying: “Newcastle are not a bonkers club.”

He has only been in the job six months but already McClaren has seen Newcastle hit Norwich for six only to suffer their heaviest derby defeat at the hands of Sunderland for 48 years just one week later.

And having suffered humiliating losses against Leicester and Crystal Palace, his Jekyll and Hyde outfit then stunned Jurgen Klopp’s in-form Liverpool 2-0 last Sunday.

“Calling us a bonkers football club is a bit harsh,” said McClaren. “It’s not so bonkers inside though it may look it from the outside. But it’s not an easy club as we all know.”

And he predicts brighter times ahead for a Newcastle side still entrenched in the drop zone despite last Sunday’s unlikely win. “I fully expect us to be stronger in the second half of the season than we’ve been in the first,” said McClaren. “It can be a culture shock to any new player coming in but I think they are now adapting.”

McClaren rejects accusations that with so many overseas players in the squad, most are detached from fans and the region they live in.

“Everybody knows that Newcastle is all about,” he said. “There’s enough history and films out there, enough ex-players out there and there’s being used. But when you cross the white line and there’s 52,000 people, you’ve got to have some courage. I admire the players for that, for being able to handle it.

“The reason we are in trouble is we haven’t been able to put in a performance week in, week out which the fans expect.”

Mauricio Pochettino is confident his Tottenham players can prove a point to McClaren after dropping points immediately after three of their last four Europa League fixtures.

Newcastle manager McClaren believes Spurs would be far higher up the table than their current position of fifth if they were not slogging it out in Europe’s second competition.

Tottenham are unbeaten in Premier League action since the opening day of the season but have dropped points in three of their last four Euro fixtures, drawing with Swansea, Arsenal and Chelsea.

But Pochettino believes his side’s 4-1 thrashing of Monaco on Thursday would have little effect on tomorrow’s home game.

“I respect his [McClaren’s] opinion but I believe that we have a very strong squad and very good players,” he said. We are very ambitious and, after 14 games unbeaten, we need to keep on the same level to win every game.”

In an case Pochettino was not interested in title tittle tattle. “It is too early to start to speak about winning the title,” he said.

“If we start to speak about challenging for objectives at the end of the season then maybe we will be spending energy on things that are not important today.”