NEWCASTLE UNITED are learning how to smile again under a head coach determined not to be miserable despite being without a first Premier League win since taking over in June.

Steve McClaren had hoped for a greater return of points by October than the three he has picked up courtesy of a few draws against decent top-flight opposition.

But a desire to stay positive during that seven-match stretch is what has kept McClaren going, even when he received greater criticism in the wake of a Capital One Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last month.

And, after seeing Newcastle go close to ending the wait for a victory over Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea a week ago, the former England coach is even more optimistic that fortunes will soon change under his watch after a frustrating start.

“I hate losing. I hate losing,” said McClaren, knowing it will not be easy to overcome Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium today either.

“I hate losing and not playing well even more and we’ve had a couple of those. It’s not been anything I didn’t expect. We’re not where I want to be, but I expected that and you’ve got to go through these times and I’m trying not to be grumpy every day!”

Despite the pressure he experienced as England coach before he was sacked in 2007, McClaren has had to adapt once again to being heavily in the spotlight again having not managed in the Premier League since leaving Middlesbrough in 2006.

He said: “You’ve got to put some perspective on it and use your experience, but I was reading this week that (Aleksandar) Mitrovic and (Ayoze) Perez have been likened to Shearer and Cole and Beardsley and whatever.

“I thought ‘that just about sums it up’. They’ve had one game together! Experience tells you when there’s over-reaction or whatever else, but that kind of answers that.”

Despite the obvious reservations about praising that particular attacking combination too much too soon, there is no doubt Mitrovic and Perez looked as dangerous together as any other forward line tried out so far this season by McClaren.

It would be a major surprise if the Serb-Spanish central attacking two was not asked to cause City problems today, with Newcastle desperate to build on the point picked up against Chelsea.

After the trip to City, Newcastle have a favourable run of fixtures up until December but the head coach knows there is hard work ahead and knows points will not just arrive cheaply; having tasted poor outcomes against Swansea, West Ham, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford already since succeeding John Carver.

“We need a few more performances like that before we ever think that we are getting close to what we want, what we require,” he said. “In other games, we've had results – Manchester United and others – but on the other side, we weren't much of a threat.

“We got the balance right [against Chelsea] and we were organised, disciplined and defended well, but also played good football and we looked a threat, so that was the key thing for me. Now it's about consistency, and that comes in mentality, really.

“There's only Watford were we have been really disappointed, and Sheffield Wednesday was a completely different team to what we wanted to play. We tried some things which didn't quite work, so I take responsibility for that.

“Chelsea was, not annoying because we showed we could play that way, it was good to see. What would be annoying is if we don't provide that consistency of performance from now on.”