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Wijnaldum urges Newcastle to keep faith with McClaren

Football Soccer - Newcastle United v Liverpool - Barclays Premier League - St James' Park - 6/12/15 Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren celebrates with Georginio Wijnaldum after the game Action Images via Reuters / Lee Smith Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Newcastle United winger Georginio Wijnaldum has urged the club to keep faith with manager Steve McClaren in the wake of the team's impressive 2-0 win over Liverpool at the weekend. The victory pushed Newcastle to third-from-bottom in the table, behind Bournemouth and Norwich City on goal difference, and Wijnaldum was keen to blame the club's poor performances this season on himself and his team mates. "I didn't know that there was talk about the trainer's future but I don't think it's the fault of the trainer that we performed badly," the Dutchman told the British media. "I think it's the fault of the players. But that's the thing in football, sometimes when things go badly everyone says the trainer is responsible for that. "It's not fair every time, especially not in our case, because I think for this club, he's the best that we can get right now. "I hope that the club will give him the faith and keep him here." The win over Liverpool has boosted confidence among Newcastle's ranks, with midfielder Moussa Sissoko saying the team are capable of finishing in the top half of the table should they stay consistent. Newcastle currently trail 10th-placed Watford by nine points and travel to White Hart Lane to face fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. "If you look at our team, we have good players. We could finish in the top 10," he said. "But for that we have to show every week we are worthy of that. If you look at the season from the beginning we have played some good games and some bad ones. "So we have to be consistent. We need to work on that." (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)