Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren insists his relegation-threatened side are unlucky to be sitting in the Premier League’s bottom three 19 games into the 2015/16 season.
A hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat to West Brom last time out has left the Magpies in 18th place and two points adrift of safety heading into Saturday’s ominous away trip to title-chasing Arsenal.
However, despite his troubled side picking up just one point from their last three games, McClaren sees room for optimism heading into the second-half of the season.
Speaking to The Chronicle prior to this weekend’s daunting trip to North London, the under-fire Englishman said:
“There’s 19 games to go and it would worry me if we didn’t have a good attitude. The last 3 games have been unlucky. In the last 3 games the players didn’t deserve what they have got.
“With 19 games to go we need results to turn quickly. I’ve never been as frustrated for the players as I have over the last 3 games. They’ve given everything and didn’t deserve to lose.
We’re just not getting the results but that has to change. With 19 games remaining, that has to be done quickly. The performances are there. If that continues, we’ll win games. We need to stick together and be strong
McClaren also offered an injury update on the Newcastle squad ahead of Saturday’s game, claiming that in-form goalkeeper Rob Elliot is a doubt through illness – whilst bizarrely hailing the return of goal-shy French striker Emmanuel Riviere as “like having a new signing”:
It’s a good squad of players. Aarons is back in training. Manu Riviere’s back in training, and he’s like having a new signing. Rob Elliot was sent home again today. He has a stomach bug. We hope he’ll recover quickly. He’s a doubt at the present moment.
