Mick Quinn (talking to the Chronicle): “There are no distractions now off the pitch so they can keep focused now.
“The 11 players who pull on the shirts on a Saturday are now the most important people at the club.
“There is no need for shenanigans or any funny stuff from them off the pitch, they’ve done a good job and they can be proud of it.
“They just need to finish the job off and I think they can.
“I played in this league for a lot of my career and I know what it’s like, when you play teams like Scunthorpe and Barnsley – they will instantly raise their game.
“They will scrap to cause a shock. Newcastle will have to get used to it.
“But at the moment don’t lose sight of the fact they are top of the league.
“Chris is a lovely fella and I think he’s earned the job so far.
“He will have earned it if they get in the Premier League and they can’t not allow him to have another crack at it in the Premier if he gets them there.
“He filled in at short notice and for him to get the job is a massive bonus.
“There is still a really long way to go but it’s now in his hands to complete a great job so far.”