STEVE McCLAREN wants Newcastle United’s supporters to prepare themselves for a fight to beat the drop that will ‘go down to the wire’ despite attempts to spend big during the January transfer window.

The Magpies head for Watford this afternoon knowing only a victory will lift them out of the relegation zone, with Swansea City sitting a point better off and with a superior goal difference.

Newcastle have shown encouraging signs in recent weeks and the arrivals of Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet at a combined cost of £16.4m has given the players and Tyneside a lift after a frustrating run of results.

McClaren is still in the market for further additions, with Andros Townsend and Saido Berahino top of the wish list before the transfer window closes on February 1. Neither of those will come cheaply.

But even with any further adjustments to his squad over the next nine days, McClaren thinks the unpredictability of this season’s Premier League is likely to mean teams fighting at the wrong end of the division are likely to be still there or thereabouts come May.

The Newcastle boss said: “This will go to the wire and all of the way because even the teams above with 29 points, which is the target you set, can get sucked in. It’s about us and what the target is. We have to take one game at a time.

He added: “It’s going to go all the way. You’re never out of the mire, even if you’re up there on 29 or 30 points, it’s still the prospect of another three or four wins and it’s difficult.

“The league is tough this year, really, really tough. All we’re looking at is ourselves. You can look at the others but if you don’t win and collect the points, then you’re not going to get out.”

The situation is highlighted by Watford’s position in 12th spot after a blistering start to the campaign. Ahead of the visit of Newcastle, the Hornets are on the 29 point figure McClaren talked about, even though he was not deliberately singling them out.

And with Newcastle sitting eight points behind, the head coach knows how important today’s game is at Vicarage Road ahead of February fixtures with Everton, West Brom, Chelsea and Manchester City.

“We look at the league table with ten games to go, with five games to go, whether you’re top or bottom and then the league begins,” he said. “We’re searching for form, consistency, knowing what we’re going to get every week.

“We’ve started the second half with Arsenal, even the Watford game and we’ve been there 100 per cent and fought for every minute, played some good football and against Manchester United and Watford got some good results.”

But having hovered around the relegation zone for the season so far, McClaren thinks his players are more than capable of dealing with the pressure because it is not new to them.

He said: “I'm not saying we are used to it, but we have been here all season. We have sat here all season, haven't we, asking the same questions. We have been all season talking about getting out and things like that.

“But the performances and the players – with Steven Taylor back in, Rolando Aarons is back in training, Emmanuel Riviere, the two signings - honestly, it's like five new faces on the training ground, so that's also given us a bit of a lift. But Saturday is a big game for us.”

McClaren knows Watford will be looking at the occasion as a game when they can win for the first time in the league since before Christmas; losing four of their five games.

He said: “I wouldn't say they are in a relegation fight, but they'll certainly be looking up and all the teams around there will be. You need a good run.

“We are just concentrating on ourselves and not really looking around. I know Swansea won, but it's up to us, we have to do the job.”