Newcastle United "set a standard for themselves" against Manchester United that they must now replicate in every single game going forward, insists Steve McClaren. Admitting that some of his players were "absolutely knackered" following their efforts at Old Trafford last weekend, McClaren stated that he expected the same levels of commitment from his squad against Arsenal on Saturday (12.45pm kick-off). The Magpies recorded their first victory of the season with a resounding 4-1 Capital One Cup Second-Round win over Northampton Town at St James' Park on Tuesday night, though many first teamers were rested. And McClaren is now looking for a first Barclays Premier League victory as Toon boss against the Gunners, and he expects to see the same sort of energy to "die" for the shirt as he saw from his players against Man Utd. Speaking to The Shields Gazette, McClaren said:
"Saturday took a lot out of them. "Some of the players were absolutely knackered afterwards and so they should have been. "We did tell them, to get the result or even to get close, they would have to die out there. And they did. "We have seen the statistics, in terms of the distances they have run, and from all the Premier League clubs we were the most. "It shows how hard they worked in that game. "They have set a standard for themselves now."
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
