Source: Telegraph
Alan Smith salutes Newcastle's spirit
The Tyneside club could go to the top of the table tonight if their resurgence is maintained when they play Leicester at St James' Park and Smith has put their early success down to dressing room bonding that was absent in last term's ill-fated Premier League campaign.
"Adversity can bring people together," the former Leeds and Manchester United player said. I have experienced it in my life before and anyone who experienced it will know what I am talking about.
"Sometimes when things aren't that rosy you look around and recognise it is a time to stick together and I think that is exactly what we have done.
"Everyone gives each other a pat on the back when we do something well and likewise we give each other a rollicking when necessary.
"Togetherness is vital. That togetherness is going to take us a long way and in the games where we can't play attractive attacking football it will be even more important.
"Hopefully you've seen that togetherness for yourself. Most people you speak to are surprised by how we have knitted together but from inside the dressing room we knew all along that come the first game of the season we would be ready and up for it."
Both newly-relegated Newcastle and newly-promoted Leicester are currently unbeaten in the Championship this season and Smith is certain that team spirit will be vital against a side managed by his former St James' Park coach Nigel Pearson who will be pitting his wits against caretaker manager Chris Hughton.
Smith added: "The Sheffield Wednesday game (that Newcastle won 1-0) was a match we wouldn't have won last season because we really struggled to keep clean sheets last term and we struggled to make our advantage stick. What people saw was a togetherness that exists in the squad.
"Come the end of the season it might be the 1-0 victories that could be vital for us because we know we can't win by three or four every week.
"Newcastle fans have been here before and they will understand that there will be games where we can go out, play attractive football and win comfortably but there will also be games where we have to grind out a result."
Smith could end up playing in the Newcastle attack tonight due to a spate of injuries among the strikers on Tyneside and if he does then he will do so with relish.
"Any football fan, whether their team have won, lost or drawn wants to be able to come away from the stadium knowing that players did everything they could and give everything they had," the former England player continued.
"We are going to have ups and downs. We are going to win some and lose some but that won't be for lack of effort.
"Football fans will forgive you if you give it everything you've got. They will stay with you and get behind you. That's what Newcastle fans have done so far this season and we fully appreciate it.
"The fans love this football club and they want to come and watch a team they can be proud of. That's our job - to make sure we make them proud."
