Newcastle players ready for a fight, Steve McClaren says
Friday 4 March 2016 17:04, UK
Newcastle's players know they are in a survival scrap and are ready to continue the fight against Bournemouth, Steve McClaren says.
Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at Stoke was a fourth in five games and means McClaren's side go into the weekend with only Aston Villa beneath them in the Premier League table.
But the manager believes the performance at the Britannia answered questions about his squad's appetite for a fight.
"We asked for a reaction after the Chelsea game and at Stoke it's fine margins," McClaren said. "We asked for spirit and fight and for them to stay in the game for 95 minutes, and they did that.
"But for a fantastic save from Jack Butland we'd have got a very good draw and something to build on. It obviously piles the pressure on that we didn't get that result, but honestly the main focus is Bournemouth.
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"A lot of people questioned the players as well - did they know the situation? I think we saw from the performance on Wednesday that yes, they do. I know that from the training field and the dressing room.
"We know the predicament we're in, only we can get out of it. We said we were in a fight which started on Wednesday - we continue it on Saturday."
