McClaren tells Newcastle fans: Don’t judge me on 10 matches

“There have been a couple of games this season where I felt we have deserved to win, but we haven’t – and those four or five extra points would put you in a very different scenario”.

“This is Newcastle, so there’s always scrutiny on you”.

“I think I am judged every week and I’ll be judged again on Sunday night, then the next week and the week after that”.

Newcastle United is now twentieth in the Premier League with 3 points having drawn 3 games and lost 5.

The last time the Magpies suffered relegation to the Championship, too many people mentioned the club’s status, how they were too big to go down, and that attitude meant they lacked a fighting spirit.

“We’ve got to make sure we do the right things, do the right job, and go through the right process”, said McClaren.

With so much to play for, and with the nerves that come with that, expect to see a repeat for the 2012-2015 years – where 1-0 is king and being solid at the back is worth more than being exciting up front.

“It’s a massive blow for us”, McClaren said.

Steve McLaren’s appointment in the summer was never going to see him walk into an easy job, but with 15 senior players injured including no first team keeper, his job’s been nigh on impossible.

‘If someone said to me now, “You’ll have 40 points by mid-April”, I’d take it. That’s just the perspective of where we are.

“I don’t think you treat them any differently because they are bottom of the table”.

Newcastle United have won one of their last 19 BPL fixtures (D4 L14). I’ve been impressed with Lee Charnley [the chief executive] from day one in terms of his vision and what he wants for the club. “The problem is bloody winning football matches”, he added. It has the global TV coverage to itself because all the top teams are engaged in Europe in the coming days, and wanted to get the weekend games out of the way yesterday. “We could have been one or two goals up”. To lose that is devastating. “You are where you deserve to be but judge us after 10 games not six”. “He needs to step up and perform”.

Sunday People Sport revealed a fortnight ago that Magpies owner Mike Ashley had sent McClaren, 54, a “stay strong” message in view of Newcastle’s dismal start to the season.