Alan Pardew has hailed the positive vibe from Newcastle's fans as a key factor in their superb start to the season.
The Magpies head to Stoke on Monday with five wins and four draws from their opening nine games. Newcastle were tipped by many pundits to struggle this season after the departures of Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Jose Enrique in the summer and the failure to sign a big-name replacement for Andy Carroll.
Even Pardew has admitted surprise at their run, which has meant the disquiet that greeted the former West Ham manager's appointment last December is firmly a thing of the past. He said: "I think it's very important that you have a good feeling running through the club, from the terraces right down to the pitchside."
He added: "I think there's a trust from the terraces in what we're doing. Especially in the players that we have.
"That trust has come out in a number of areas this year that have seen us get victories. And you can't do that without the tremendous backing that we've got here.
"I think they see that we're trying to do it the right way, approaching the game in the right style, and hopefully producing football that makes them want to come back every week.
"The support helps when bad days come along, and they will come along. We're going to have some tough days and if they trust that the management and the players are doing everything to try to win the game then they'll stay with you."
Pardew's words were echoed by midfielder Cheik Tiote, who has called for his team-mates to display the same togetherness that helped them to a 1-0 win over Wigan last weekend when they walk out at the Britannia Stadium.
He said: "Stoke is a tough game for us and it will be a bit like the Wigan game. We have to do what we did in the Wigan game and keep going even though they will make it tough, and when we get a chance we have to take it.
"We want to be remembered as a team. And if we want to push for the top half of the league we have to stay together as a unit. Finishing in the top five or six is only achieved by having a team spirit. We have spoken about in the dressing room and feel we can achieve a good position this season."
Source: PA
