Bramble vows to improve

The England Under-21 international knows the pressure is on him after an indifferent debut season at St James' Park last term.

Bramble accepts he made mistakes last year, but he has vowed to learn from them and become a better player.

"I made mistakes last season and I know that," said Bramble. "I played well in spells, but then had rough patches as well. When I was playing well I felt comfortable, but when I made mistakes it affected my confidence and I lost form.

"That isn't good enough at a club like Newcastle who are challenging for the title and in the Champions League and I have been quick to realise that.

"I perhaps had the same problem at Ipswich on occasions, but as I get older it is a part of my game I am concentrating on improving. I will not become the player I want to be without being able to produce the same high standards week in, week out."

Bramble is hoping to follow the example of players like Tony Adams and Martin Keown by improving as he gets older.

"If you look at players like Tony Adams or Martin Keown, they got better the older and wiser they got. A lot comes from experience and the more games I play the better I will get.

"I think there are certain similarities between my situation at Newcastle and Rio Ferdinand's at Manchester United. He went there as one of the best defenders in the World Cup, but wasn't as consistent as he would have liked for them.

"The test is how you cope with that, both of us will want to prove how good we are by getting a greater level of consistency."