Source: Northern_Echo
Hughton praises feelgood factor ahead of opener
CHRIS Hughton will travel to Manchester United on Monday night confident the current Newcastle squad is superior to the one that was relegated from the Premier League two seasons ago.[LNB] With Hatem Ben Arfa still involved in a stand-off with his current employers at Marseille, full-back James Perch will be the only summer signing lining up for the Magpies in two days' time.[LNB] Up to six members of the starting line-up could be survivors from the club's last meeting with Manchester United, a 2-1 defeat at St James' Park during the latter stages of the relegation campaign.[LNB] The side that lost in March 2009 also included the likes of Obafemi Martins and Sebastien Bassong, but while Newcastle have lost a number of so-called star names in the last 18 months, their manager is confident they have gained so much more.[LNB] I hope we have a better team now, said Hughton. We have had a very successful promotion and, from that, there's a feelgood factor.[LNB] There's a feelgood factor in the city about going back to the Premier League.[LNB] We know we've lost a lot of proven internationals from the last time we were here, but we're still hoping to add players.[LNB] And what we do have that's different to two years ago is players who have improved and developed over the last year. We just hope we can take that into the Premier League.[LNB] They could hardly have been given a tougher opening task. Newcastle have not won at Old Trafford since February 1972, and will start Monday's game as 16-1 outsiders to claim all three points.[LNB] Times have certainly changed since the two clubs were tussling for the Premier League title, but having enjoyed a number of personal battles with Magpies managers in the past, Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to welcoming the club back into the top-flight.[LNB] I didn't expect Newcastle to come back so quickly, said the Manchester United boss.[LNB] You could sense there was going to be an upheaval in terms of players leaving and they did sell quite a few.[LNB] It is not easy to go down and come back at the first go.[LNB] Very few teams have done that over the years.[LNB] But you have to give Chris Hughton credit. He wasn't everyone's choice as manager, but he dealt with all the financial constraints Newcastle had last season and still got all his players playing for him.[LNB] And with their fanatical support, they had a big advantage.[LNB] Hughton has been equally effusive about Ferguson as he prepares to lock horns with English football's longestserving manager for the second time in his managerial career, having been standing in for Joe Kinnear when the sides last met.[LNB] It's always a real pleasure to be in his company, he said.[LNB] Whether you're with him as a manager or as an assistant, or you're just in his company, it's a great pleasure. He's one of the greats. We look at Sir Bobby (Robson) and what he did for this football club Sir Alex is at that level and has that aura about him.[LNB] Earlier this week, there had been a strong possibility of Ben Arfa being included in Newcastle's squad for Old Trafford.[LNB] That will not happen, but after the French midfielder refused to train with Marseille for the second day in a row yesterday, a resolution to one of the summer's longest-running transfer sagas finally appears near. Ben Arfa is understood to have flown into Newcastle Airport last night in an attempt to initiate talks with Magpies officials.[LNB] Hatem will go to Newcastle,[LNB] said a source close to Ben Arfa. The relationship between him and (Didier) Deschamps reached a point of no return and we just want the leaders of Marseille to backtrack and let him go.[LNB] Hatem has always been honest with Marseille while Marseille have mocked Hatem by suddenly declaring him untransferable.[LNB] In early July we had been asked to find a club and that's what we have done.[LNB]
