Newcastle have had a bright start to the Championship season, sitting in third with 22 points.
Ian Holloway has said that one of Rafael Benitez’s toughest achievements at Newcastle has been changing the mentality of the players, speaking to skysports.com.
Over recent years on Tyneside, there has been a losing culture at the club which eventually saw Newcastle relegated to the Championship last season, but pundit Holloway believes Benitez has stopped the rot.
“Newcastle and Rafa Benitez have achieved a very difficult thing this season: removing the disappointment and losing mentality from the club,” Holloway told skysports.com.
Newcastle United Manager Rafael Benitez
“They look like a team that are enjoying the challenge the Championship brings.
“The rest of the division needs to watch out as this team could go on a huge winning run at any stage of the season.”
The Magpies endured a tough start to life in the second tier, losing their opening two games, forcing some people to reassess their thoughts on Newcastle, who were billed as pre-season favourites for promotion, with many saying they now would not walk the division like they did last time.
Millwall manager Ian Holloway
However, since those defeats, Benitez has dropped just four points, losing to Wolves and drawing with Aston Villa, showing that the losing mentality that haunted the club has been scared away by the Spaniard, who now has a team of winners.
We saw the change in Newcastle in their dramatic victory over Norwich, scoring twice in stoppage time to pick up three points. The character they showed to come from behind rather than feel sorry for themselves is why they are the favourites for the Championship crown, and it might not be too long before they sit top of the table.
Newcastle United Manager Rafael Benitez
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