Despite considerable optimism generated by a total summer outlay of more than £50m, Newcastle’s opening four games of the season have brought just two points.
McClaren feels there are mitigating factors behind his players’ failure to claim a league victory though, and is happy with the rate of progress since his appointment at the start of the summer.
He said: “We feel we’re establishing – and it’s going to be slow – but we’re establishing what we want to be about, and we’re establishing a platform.
“We have seen enough evidence of that in all the four games. We have played two games with ten men and you are not going to create a lot and score a lot of goals doing that against that quality of teams.”
Newcastle’s most recent outing ended in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, but with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s early dismissal having forced the Magpies to play for almost 75 minutes with just ten men, McClaren felt his players’ spirit and attitude rightly sheltered them from too much criticism.
He said: “We have defended well and shown great spirit, and I think that’s probably what the public has taken on board. It’s been that kind of spirit, and the players have taken on board that kind of atmosphere that they created in not just the first game, but definitely the Arsenal game too.
“There are not many times that you lose a game at home, and the supporters still appreciate the work, commitment and spirit that the players have shown.”