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Steve McClaren ‘Mitrovic and Perez showed their potential’

8 years ago
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After watching Newcastle come back and win 2-1 with goals from substitutes Mitrovic and Perez, Steve McClaren declared that the strike pair had ‘showed their potential’.

Whether either or both of them should have been on from the start is another matter but certainly up until their introduction Newcastle had struggle to creat much of any substance.

The Newcastle fans didn’t care at the final whistle but certainly now the Head Coach has big decisions to make next weekend.

Siem de Jong was totally anonymous this afternoon, whilst Papiss Cisse didn’t get great service and struggled to impose himself, although he put one effort just wide.

When you win you can pretty much say what you want afterwards and nobody cares.

However, it is all very well trying to stop the other team scoring but you have to have some kind of an attacking threat as well, which wasn’t evident really until Ayoze Perez appeared with half an hour to go.

Steve McClaren:

“Absolutely huge, massive. Not just the performance, especially second half, but the result.

“Back to back wins which we haven’t had for about a year and a comeback win from one down, (which we hadn’t had) over a year.

“So they are the things that test the team and that is what we said at half-time. They have shown fantastic character and that is what we are and what we want to be.

“We talked about it last week, consistency, and on a platform of fantastic attitude, effort, workrate, you know…we have got some talented players who can score goals and we deserved the win I think.”

Response at half-time:

“Great response at half-time from the players, didn’t have to say anything. We need to keep that going week in week out.

“A pat on the back for the subs. It is difficult being a sub – Ayoze and Mitro have been playing well and didn’t play the last game, then respond like you would expect all players to respond – ready to play, ready to come on, impact, and won us the game.

“Mitrovic is fantastic, a character. He is only young and he is learning and he is adapting well, I think he and Ayoze showed their potential.”

Turned the corner?:

“Still a long way to go, we have to do this consistently. The last two weeks…to come back from two poor performances, a lot of criticism – the players have stuck together and come back well, got two magnificent results.

“We have got to keep going now.”

(Read what Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker had to say about the result HERE)

(Read instant Newcastle fan/writer reaction fo HERE)

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