Hoddle, like McClaren a former England manager, was at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
Hoddle said: “Newcastle showed a lot of character, a real will-to-win is within them, and for that reason I feel they will have a decent season.”
Hoddle, though, was surprised by the amount of abuse the referee took, as he said: “The fans were certainly giving the ref some real stick.”
Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, a £12million signing from Anderlecht this summer, lasted just 16 minutes of his full home debut before he was given a straight red card following a nasty stamp on Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin.
Mitrovic was booked just three seconds after coming on a substitute – a Premier League record – on the opening day of the season for a rash lunge on Southampton’s Matt Targett. He was then accused of landing his studs on Swansea’s Neil Taylor the following weekend.
And he comes to the Premier League with an unwelcome reputation as a hothead in Belgium.
Mitrovic misses three matches and McClaren cannot afford to lose one of his big buys of this summer.