Newcastle United's Tim Krul: 'Steve McClaren has freshened things up'

Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has claimed that the arrival of new head coach Steve McClaren is a positive change.

The former England manager moved to St James' Park this summer after interim coach John Carver was given his marching orders.

McClaren began his reign with a 2-2 draw against Southampton last Sunday.

"I think it needed freshening, and the gaffer definitely came in and changed a few things," The Shields Gazette quotes Krul as saying.

"We showed a few patches of it [against Southampton], and the manager walked in the changing room and he said to us that he thinks we can add another 40% to what we showed."

The Magpies' next game is against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium this Saturday.