Source: Northern_Echo
Nolan hails new sense of spirit at Magpies
KEVIN NOLAN last night insisted it was time to draw a line under last seasons relegation, and claimed the subsequent regrouping could turn out to be one of the best things that has happened to Newcastle United.
The Magpies travel to Cardiff City tomorrow hoping to defend the 100 per cent record that has carried them to the top of the Championship despite continued uncertainty surrounding the future ownership of the club.
A haul of 13 points from five matches stands in direct contrast to the wretched run of form that culminated in last seasons relegation, but Nolan feels the time has arrived to forget about the past.
Instead, the midfielder is looking to focus on the positives that have emerged in the last two months, most notably the new-found sense of spirit that has been forged in the face of considerable adversity.
Ive been at the club six months and I have my views on where it has gone wrong, and could go on about them all day, said Nolan, who has emerged as a key figure in Newcastles renaissance. But thats not down to me.
We could sit around all day saying, Hes done that wrong, hes done this wrong, but we are in this situation because massive mistakes have been made, whether that is from upstairs, on the park, the manager or whatever. We have to eradicate those mistakes and start rebuilding.
When we came back at the start of the summer, we all sat around the table and asked ourselves, Where do we want to go We all agreed that while we are here, we have to give 110 per cent.
We said, Anyone who wants to leave, tell us now and you can go. But everyone stuck their hand up and said No we want to be a part of this. That has brought us tighter together. It could have been one of the best things that has happened to the club.
The mood that is apparent within the current Newcastle squad is certainly radically different to the attitude and approach that was discernible for much of last season.
The arrogance and aloofness displayed by the likes of Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins has been replaced by a one-for-all, all-for-one mentality that has seen people like Alan Smith, Nicky Butt and Joey Barton display a humility and dedication that might not have been expected given their exalted past.
Nolan admits a number of egos have taken a battering, but insists no one can look back on last seasons events and shirk a share of the responsibility.
You cant have an ego if youve just been relegated from the Premier League, he said. No one can blame anyone else, because weve all been a part of that team.
Some people have said to me, Youre not to blame, but I was the one that got sent off against Everton and I played ten games or so after I came here in January. So I was a major part of what happened last season.
Ive told the players we will always be remembered as the players that took Newcastle down. But when we came back after the summer, I also said to them, Now, we can be remembered as the players that took the club back.
Thats my view of where were at.
The recovery process continues at Cardiff tomorrow, and as well as attempting to restore Newcastles reputation as a club, the members of the current squad are also hoping to improve their own standing in the game.
Nolan was on the fringe of the England squad during his time at Bolton Wanderers, but the 27-year-old admits that it would be wrong to think of him as anything other than a Championship player.
Ive had a few good years at Bolton, but thats gone now, he said. This year is all about trying to prove that I am a Premier League player and that I deserve to be there.
Weve started well, but weve not proved anything yet. The only time I can say I deserve to be a Premier League player again is when we get back there.
I was part of the team that took us down, and nobody thinks they deserve to be in the Premier League in our dressing room right now.
They need to prove it.
Modesty is not an attribute normally associated with Newcastle United, but it only takes a glance at the League One table to realise that rock bottom is not a term that should be banded about lightly.
No disrespect, but we could end up like a Leeds, Charlton or Southampton unless we get things right, said Nolan. You dont have a divine right to be in the Premier League. We proved that last year. Now its about us making sure we get back.
