MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - After the opening two games of the
Premier League season, the mood around Newcastle United was that of a club in
crisis, potentially facing a long battle against relegation.
A home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day was no disgrace
but the manner of their 1-0 loss at Huddersfield Town fuelled speculation about
the future of Spanish manager Rafa Benitez.
Media reports claimed that the former Liverpool manager was losing
patience with the club's owner Mike Ashley over transfer business and suggested
Newcastle's return to the Premier League after a year absence was going to be
difficult.
Then came three straight wins.
While the underlying issues at the club may not have disappeared, there
is a new air of optimism fuelled by victories over West Ham United and Stoke
City at home and away to Swansea.
Those wins suggest that while Benitez may still not be happy, he at
least has a squad which is capable of competing in the top flight.
On Sunday, Newcastle are away to Brighton and Hove Albion, who also
came up last season and have just one win from their opening five encounters.
Brighton manager Chris Hughton previously worked at Newcastle and
believes Benitez is benefiting from the signings made for last year's
Championship campaign.
"Recruitment is not just about one window, Newcastle recruited
really well last season and some of the players doing particularly well for
them at the moment are ones that were bought last season," said Hughton.
One of those players who has impressed so far is winger Matt Ritchie
who dropped down a division last year when he moved to Newcastle from Bournemouth.
Ritchie believes it would be unwise for too much to be read into the
club's current position of fourth-place in the league and says that survival
remains the club's goal.
"You’d be very naive to look at the table now and get excited,”
the Scotland international said.
"For the fans, they can look at it and be proud, but we’re five
games in and have nine points on the board. We need to hit the 40-point mark
before we start getting carried away."
Newcastle won both the league clashes between the clubs last season but
Brighton will take heart from their last home game, when they beat West
Bromwich Albion 3-1 - their first ever Premier League win.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Toby Davis)
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