Newcastle Are No Longer Relegation Candidates Claims Former England Boss
Glenn Hoddle believes that the new boss proved his worth as Newcastle drew with Man United.
Former England manager, Glenn Hoddle believes that Newcastle United are now an established mid-table team rather than relegation candidates.
After the Magpies 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, Hoddle complimented Steve McClaren's ability to influence the game in his column for the Daily Mail.
McClaren's arrival on Tyneside has been a relatively smooth transition but the jury is still out on whether the Newcastle head coach will be a success during his time at St James' Park.
His positive possession based football that he established at Derby is something that he is evidently trying to implement at Newcastle but yesterday he also showed he can adapt defensively in order to grind out a point.
Hoddle believes that McClaren adapted well after Man Utd averaged more than 70% possession and their passing fluency ensured Newcastle struggled to get any sort of foothold in the game whatsoever.
The former Tottenham coach said:
Newcastle were very open in the first 20 minutes, which Im sure wasnt the game plan. So Steve came down from his place in the stand and was going berserk on the line.
His instructions worked because the three in the middle of the park got tighter and their centre halves showed a lot of quality.
The balance might be more difficult to achieve at home when the crowd will urge them to go forward. But I dont see them as a team fighting down the bottom, more mid-table.
Newcastle host Northampton Town on Tuesday night in the Capital One Cup and face Arsenal at St James Park on Saturday. (12.45KO)