Newcastle's players growing closer together, says boss Steve McClaren

Steve McClaren says Newcastle's players are closer together after criticism this season and their new-found determination yielded the comeback win at Tottenham.

The Magpies shocked Spurs and stopped them moving into the top four with two late goals to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane and lift themselves out of the relegation zone.

McClaren said the notable difference came in the dressing room at half-time when they were 1-0 down and he "could not shut them up".

"Half-time was a big test for this team. We've come in at half-time before and the dressing room has been quiet and disappointed, but it was so vocal," McClaren said.

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"There was such a determination among the players not to lead down the normal path of losing the game. The response in the second half was fantastic. We grew, got stronger and deserved the win

"There was so much going on at half-time. Robbie Elliot, Fabricio Coloccini but, to be fair, all of them were noisy. We couldn't shut them up and they took it on board.

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"The pleasing thing for me is that we've not won back-to-back games for over a year, not had a comeback win for about a year, so to do it was immense. They're all together and they are delighted.

"We've had difficult times but we've asked for consistency and the last two weeks have provided that, on the back of a lot of criticism. It's brought everybody closer together to be perfectly honest, but there is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do."