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Boss Urges Magpies To Go The Distance
Written by Newcastle Utd
Steve McClaren wants United to "give something back" to their fans ahead of a long journey to Bournemouth
By Dominic Scurr
Head coach Steve McClaren wants Newcastle United to "give something back" to their fans ahead of a long journey to Bournemouth on Saturday (12.45pm kick-off).
The Magpies' 300-mile trip to the Vitality Stadium is among the longest in the Barclays Premier League but McClaren feels the nature of the journey should not have any bearing on the fixture
"It doesn't matter how far you travel, we want to win games," said the Newcastle manager.
"We're prepared to win and we have no excuse not to.
"We've got to be consistent at home and away. We've got a tough away game but if we perform well we've got an excellent chance of winning."
The Magpies' boss also praised the 1,365 United fans who have made the trip to the south coast for the lunchtime kick-off.
Following its rescheduling for live television broadcast, it is far from an easy journey. However the club have tried to help ease the cost by using their Away Fans Fund allocation to discount £10 from each ticket.
"I feel sorry for the fans who have to get up really early and get the bus down there, especially for a 12.45pm kick-off," McClaren continued.
"I can sympathise with them, but with us, the preparation is right and we've got no excuses.
"It's a fantastic turn out and we'll be telling the players that the fans are setting off at 2am or 3am looking forward to a good performance while we're still tucked up in bed. So it's up to us to give them something back on the field.
"I think when you get the result, all that distance doesn't matter. The fans have been great and they don't often get to see their side win away from home so it's about time we turned that around."