Source: Northern_Echo
Hughton praises senior players
CHRIS HUGHTON hopes to have had the size of his squad boosted by tomorrow night, but the caretaker boss has paid tribute to the way Newcastle United’s existing players have responded during testing times.
With little progress made on the takeover front, despite a degree of interest from home and abroad, Hughton has again had to prepare his team for tonight’s Championship visit of Leicester in the only way he knows – hard work on the training ground.
Yesterday brought further suggestions that a deal with owner Mike Ashley from an American consortium had edged nearer. But Hughton is focusing only on what he can influence on the pitch after a tedious summer of similar reports.
The temporary boss, who has admitted he would fancy a more permanent appointment, feels the players he has been working with deserve enormous credit for the way they have started this season.
“The senior players within this squad have been massively important and massively supportive,” said Hughton.
“They have understood it’s not just about them. Everybody at this club has gone through a tough time.
“Everybody’s in the same situation, not knowing what’s going on. They’ve understood that and they’ve been massively important and supportive.
“They’ve shown a reaction because whatever anybody says, criticism always hurts and they know that – all of us included – we weren’t good enough to stay in the Premier League last season.
“The only way to do something about that is to give ourselves a fighting chance to come back again.
“To do that we’ve got to prove a little bit of a point and win people over.
“You can’t expect the supporters to turn up if we’re not at the right end of the table winning matches, and that’s what they’ve done.”
If Newcastle win tonight they will go top of the Championship, having followed up an opening day draw at West Brom with victories over Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace.
Such form has earned Hughton an element of support from the disgruntled fans, while Ashley has also been urged by the players to keep him in charge if he fails to sell the club.
“Irrespective of whether it was me or anybody else in charge, the response has been very good.
“The fans are seeing a team that is fighting for the cause, a team at the right end of the table winning football matches,”
said Hughton.
“I think whoever was in my shoes would be getting a good reaction.
“It is me, and it has been good. But that’s very much been down to a group of lads who deserve to be in the position we are in at the moment.”
Hughton’s difficult task has been made even harder by the news that Shola Ameobi – his only striker with experience – has sustained a stress fracture to his foot.
He has, however, outlined a desire to play through the pain barrier and rest during the international break.
The situation means young striker Nile Ranger is on stand-by to start tonight, although Newcastle are hoping to bring in a couple of new forwards before tomorrow’s 5pm transfer deadline.
Everton’s James Vaughan is in Newcastle’s sights, but a £3m price-tag could mean that a short-term arrangement is more likely, with Stoke and Hull also interested.
Hughton expects further calls for the likes of Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Gutierrez within the next 24 hours, but has been told that there will be no more departures before the deadline.
Gutierrez will find out later today whether he is fit to face Leicester, having spent the weekend recovering from the hamstring injury sustained in last Wednesday’s Carling Cup win over Huddersfield.
Following the victory over Huddersfield, Newcastle have been paired with Peterborough in the third round scheduled for week beginning Monday, September 21.
Newcastle: Harper; R Taylor, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique; Barton, Smith, Butt, Guthrie; Nolan, Ameobi.
