Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren finally sees the fight that's been missing this season

 

Vital win against Norwich will soothe the ire of the critics who had it in for the entire Newcastle squad and Steve McClaren, writes Alan Smith 

 Not surprisingly, Steve McClaren will never forget the January afternoon in 2006 when a Thierry Henry-inspired Arsenal thumped his Middlesbrough side 7-0. Seething with anger afterwards, McClaren marched towards the away dressing room ready to explode, only to be met by a chaotic scene.
 

Several players were having a right go at each other, with one pair on the brink of coming to blows before the coaching staff dragged them apart. Watching all this unfold, McClaren knew at that moment things would be alright. He knew his team felt the pain as much as he did and were therefore in a good position to right the wrongs. And so it turned out. Boro went on that season to reach the FA Cup semi-final before losing to Sevilla in the Uefa Cup final.

For McClaren, that fracas at Highbury quite possibly came to mind following Newcastle United’s humiliating 6-1 defeat against Manchester City. It was not just the way his players capitulated in the second half but also the way they reacted afterwards.

Word has it that the Etihad Stadium dressing room was silent two weeks back. No anger, no finger-pointing, just a quiet acceptance of what had taken place. Above all else, that meek reaction must have concerned McClaren the most going into the vital match with Norwich City yesterday. After all, there is not a coach in the world who can instill bottle, backbone and fight. It’s either there or it isn’t. And most of the signs this season have suggested the latter.

Yet the key point to this stunning 6-2 victory was perhaps the fact that Newcastle never found themselves behind. Yes, they looked very nervous defending slim leads but real adversity was thankfully avoided as Georginio Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko went about their incredibly impressive work.

Newcastle blew Norwich away

Not that this match always made for comfortable viewing for the man in the dugout, holding, as usual, his magnetic tactics board. A pained expression crossed his face when Norwich kept biting back in a first half that could have gone either way.

In fairness, you can understand McClaren’s lack of confidence in a group that has displayed some worrying traits so far. The club’s questionable policy of recruiting young foreign players maybe hasn’t looked hard enough at the character of those signings, at their mental resolve. Because for every Wijnaldum or Aleksandar Mitrovic, there remain two or three still with much to prove.

McClaren, however, will now be hoping that this barnstorming win goes some way to banishing uncertainty and masking weakness. He knows, after all, that the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday is set to be a tight, tense affair when courage and composure need to come to the fore.

The manager got some stick ahead of this game for saying that the season really starts here. He won’t be getting any stick now. And if this is a sign of things to come, he can afford to overlook the way his players reacted at City. Actions, after all, speak louder than words.

Moment of the weekend

Howard Kendall’s record as player and manager may never be bettered at Everton. No wonder Goodison Park stood as one to pay its respects before Saturday’s game against Manchester United, with many of Howard’s old colleagues gathered in the stands. He might not be with us anymore but Kendall will always stand tall as a giant of
the game and a great human being.

Villain of the weekend

With Chelsea on the ropes, at their lowest ebb, the last thing any opponent wants to do is give the champions a leg up. Unfortunately for Aston Villa, that is exactly what goalkeeper Brad Guzan did by putting Joleon Lescott in all sorts of bother with a dangerous pass that ended up with Diego Costa rolling home the opener. Whatever happened to finding Row Z?

Hero of the weekend

As a former Leicester City striker who also came through non-league football, I must salute Jamie Vardy’s scoring in six consecutive league games. That leaves him one short of equalling the great Arthur Rowley who set a club record 58 years ago. What price he goes on to win the cherished golden boot?