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Steve McClaren on Manchester United ‘Important we get 50,000 people right behind us’

8 years ago
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Ahead of Tuesday night’s match against Manchester United, Steve McClaren has said everybody needs to stick together and how important it is that 50,000 fans are ‘right behind’ the team.

The United boss often makes similar comments before matches, although the biggest doubt in games is whether the supporters will back the team.

This is in contrast to McClaren’s post-match comments after every game, when every time he is saying the players have been great, couldn’t have done more etc etc, despite not keeping a clean sheet and failing to score, yet again.

After defeat at Watford, Steve McClaren described the reaction of fans as ‘very harsh’ and clearly was trying to simply link the away supporters’ angry chants to the efforts of his players on that particular afternoon.

However, the reality is that Newcastle fans are just sick of the whole situation and the failures of Mike Ashley, Lee Charnley, Graham Carr AND Steve McClaren and his team overall.

The Head Coach confirmed that Coloccini coming off at half-time on Saturday was because of a ‘niggle’, later reported as a tight hamstring, which must make him a doubt for Manchester United.

A lot of fans were disappointed to see Kevin Mbabu subbed, looking one of best players on a rare start, I don’t think many supporters would have kept Dummett on ahead of Mbabu.

McClaren claims the move was in order to try and be positive and win the game.

Florian Thauvin came on and did little to convince anybody he deserves a place in the team, with his display summed up by getting a load of stick from the United fans when he pretended to be injured at a point when time was running out to get an equaliser.

Steve McClaren talking to NUFC TV:

Coloccini came off at half-time, was that an enforced change?’

“Yeah yeah, a little niggle, we didn’t want to take a risk. I thought he was great in the first half.

“Jamaal (Lascelles) came on and did a great job, we just carried on as normal and we adjusted. They changed and we had to change again, we went a little more positive and went to score and win the game.”

‘Kevin Mbabu presumably came off for that reason, just to try and change things around because of what Watford had done?’

“Yes, that’s right. We knew they played the two up front so we played the three to control it. Then they only had one up so no point playing three, we put a winger (Thauvin) on, an attacking player who can score, for a defender.

“So we thought it was a positive move and it was in terms of how many crosses we got in.”

‘Focus changes to the Premier League now?’

“That’s right, start of the week a disappointing result – can’t fault the players’ attitude and effort, the discipline, we just didn’t have the finishing quality.”

‘Manchester United next?’

“That’s right, a tough one, and it is important we get fifty thousand people right behind us in a game that’s going to be a tough one again. We just need to stick together.

“It is not as though we are playing poorly, or there’s the wrong attitude, we are doing everything we possibly can.”

‘Has Jack Colback got a chance of making it (Man Utd)?’

“Yes, we hope so, we hope so. We have got one or two little niggles again but we hope so.”

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