Our pre-season’s a success says Hughton

Jul 27 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

“In some ways the players have made it easier because the way they’ve conducted themselves has been excellent.

“They know it’s not only unsettling for the players and the club but also for the staff – myself, Colin (Calderwood), Paul Barron, the physios, the masseurs – and they’ve been respectful of that and given us all they have.”

Hughton refused to criticise the dismal defending of the Newcastle players..

“It certainly wasn’t a 6-1 performance but I don’t want to take anything away from Leyton Orient,” he said.

“When you concede six goals they’re not all going to be great goals but there were a couple of smashing goals.

“With the way the pre-season had been going we would have expected to win and we didn’t.

“But we’ll certainly pick ourselves up and expect better come Wednesday (when they entertain Leeds United in another friendly).”

The lack of communication from the boardroom has left Hughton more or less the sole spokesman for United’s regime.

The protracted takeover continues, with weekend reports citing an alleged £40m-plus overdraft as the sticking point.

Fans voiced their feelings with the now-customary renditions of pro-Shearer and anti-Ashley songs.

Hughton, though, is simply trying to concern himself with preparing the players for West Bromwich Albion away a week on Saturday.

“My focus is almost 100percent on the group of lads I have,” he said. “I don’t know when a takeover will take place. If you concern yourself with that too much you end up not doing the job you’ve been put in place to do.

“Until recently if you’d asked would I have been in charge at this particular moment my feeling would have been no because it seemed a couple of weeks ago as though it (a takeover) was very, very close.”

Sir Bobby Robson added further weight to the calls for Alan Shearer to be appointed as manager having been reunited with his former captain in last night’s charity match at St James’s Park.

“It’s great that Alan played but I’d have preferred to have him involved at Newcastle United because I believe we need a strong manager for the next five years,” he said. “I expect him to be a great manager, and I hope it’s with our club.”