Jack Colback has hailed the mentality of Newcastle United squad under Rafa Benitez and their new ability to grind out results and the points since relegation from the Premier League.
The club headed to the Championship last season after a catastrophic season that saw the Magpies with their fourth manager in under 18 months.
Although they went on a six-game unbeaten run at the end of the season, it was too late to save the club and ended their six year stay in the top flight.
This season, however, they have won seven of their 11 games and sit third in the table, three points below league leaders Huddersfield.
Their most recent win came away to Rotherham on 1 October.
Colback told the Newcastle Chronicle: "[Team spirit] has come with the group we’ve got now. You need that. It’s easy to react when things are a bit more positive. The last few years it has been tough and it’s been a tough environment to play in.
“That’s not about our fans, it’s just every club – there is pressure when you’re losing. It makes it difficult but we’ve got a group now that can respond.
“There’s been the odd game that we’ve won that hasn’t been pretty. The Rotherham one springs to mind. We had to slog it out and we’ve got the players to turn to do that now, which is great.”
There was a lot of surprised faces in football when Champions League winner, Benitez opted to stay at United, and it currently seems like a match made in football heaven.