By Rob Carragher Last updated: 13th October 2008
Kinnear: Magpies on the up
The levels of self-confidence when I arrived were as low as I have seen.
Joe Kinnear
Quotes of the week
Interim Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear has insisted that he will not look to bring in any free transfers, as they simply will not improve his squad.
The former Wimbledon boss admits that he has checked the market extensively, but has concluded that the quality available is not up to the standard required at St James' Park.
"I have had a long look at Uefa's list of players who are out of contract and available to join other clubs. It is actually a massive list," Kinnear told The Evening Chronicle.
"It is full of players who have only played two games for their clubs, and these are not the sort of players I want for Newcastle United.
"Those types of players are not going to improve us and, to tell the truth, I already have better players here - even those who are on the fringe of the first team."
Instead, Kinnear has vowed to focus his efforts on getting the players to perform to their full potential, rather than attempting to find replacements.
"The levels of self-confidence when I arrived were as low as I have seen," admitted the 61-year-old.
"We have started to get the belief back in our ability and get more confidence. Everybody has been working hard, and to see the reaction has been great.
"Overall, everything is on the up."
And goalkeeper Shay Given has thrown his support behind Kinnear.
"It's a turbulent time at the club and Joe is only in for a couple of months, so he wants to get as many points and results as possible," added Given.
"We have got to give him credit for coming up to the club when it's in a bit of turmoil at the minute to try to get us moving back up the league."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Liverpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs West Ham |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Portsmouth |
| 19:45 | Burnley vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Tottenham |
| 19:45 | Sunderland vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Wigan vs Wolverhampton |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Liverpool vs Stoke |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Everton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Sunderland 2 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 0 - 2 Everton | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 Stoke | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wigan 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Liverpool 3 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Monday 18th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 17th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Bolton 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Stoke 2 - 0 Wigan | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 West Ham | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
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