Monday 28 September 2015 12:23, UK
Goalkeeper Tim Krul has revealed that a series of heated meetings between the players was the catalyst for Newcastle's improvement against Chelsea.
The Magpies are second-bottom of the Premier League, having lost four of their opening seven games, but noticeably improved for their 2-2 draw at St James' Park on Saturday Night Football.
Krul divulged that a series of exchanges took place after their embarrassing exit to Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup and he believes some Newcastle players need to be more vocal.
The Dutchman said: "Some strong words were said after the League Cup game. We had some meetings about it. It wasn't good enough. It was far below par.
"We need more people speaking, but unfortunately that's not the style of some of the players. It needs to happen, and it has happened.
"People need to take more responsibility, and I think we did that.
"The performance against Chelsea is the reaction we should have shown two or three weeks ago, but at least we're showing something. That's something to build on."
Newcastle took a 2-0 first-half lead before the Champions recovered - but Krul believes the squad can now be more positive.
He said: "We need to be more consistent but we're showing signs. That's the standard we set. We showed that we're capable
"The manager said it; it's going to be a long journey with ups and downs, but this is the start."
