Soccer-McClaren looking for reaction to 'car crash'

LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren will be looking for an improved reaction if his team fall behind in Saturday's home game with promoted Watford. The former England boss, striving to revive his reputation after returning to the Premier League, was disappointed with the manner in which players dropped their heads after conceding the second goal in a 2-0 defeat at West Ham on Monday that sent them to the bottom of the table. "The key was how we reacted to the second goal," he told a news conference on Friday. "The reaction to the first goal was spot on, it was perfect, we recovered. "I just felt after the second goal it was disappointing. We have talked about that a lot. We were very, very disappointed with the result and aspects of the performance." Newcastle have not helped themselves by having a player sent off in two of their five league games. And after Watford's visit they face another run of daunting fixtures. "The first eight fixtures were a bit of a nightmare for us," McClaren said referring also to upcoming clashes with champions Chelsea and leaders Manchester City. "We knew it would be tough with new players, new staff and a new head coach. "We are all learning about each other and learning about the Premier League as far as some of the new players are concerned. "That process is a little bit like a car crash. You can't do anything and you wait for it to happen. "There are six or seven things you have to go through. "One of them is a bad result or disappointing performance. "We'll see what the reaction is against Watford." (Reporting by Steve Tongue; Editing by Rex Gowar)