When asked if he was close to knowing his best side and formation, McClaren replied: “Yes, absolutely.
“We were close before but we have not had Mitrovic for three games and we need that; the way we want to play, he is such an important part of it.
“If you do not have that presence and that ability, Perez does not have the freedom to play like he does.
“That is what pleased me the most. When you are building and growing and coming in, that is what you need.
“They have belief and you have belief.
“So yes, we can go on from this. That is what my feeling is.
"Mitrovic gives us identity as well as physical presence.
“They were screaming he was so tired, that I had to take him off.
“Yes he was tired but he was just a talisman for us out there.
“If you take him off, which we eventually did, you go ‘phwoo’ - I really didn’t want to take him off but he will get fitter, stronger.
“To see him scoring goals, that is the next test.
“But when it comes to improving our team, he certainly did that.”
Perez seemed to thrive in a role just off Mitrovic and McClaren admits the Spaniard may have earned himself a long-term starting berth.
“Yes, I don’t see why he (Perez) does not stay in the team,” McClaren added.
“I think Mitro helped him. But he is a good player and will score goals for us.
“He is tough. And he works hard.
“Sometimes you can have players like that but they do not work. We can’t have any of that here with the way we are.
“We cannot have anyone who does not work and is not a team player.
“That was also a little bit of a key today. As long as we show that, the crowd will respond.”
THE TOON'S GREATEST 100 PLAYERS ... EVER!
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Toons-Greatest-Players-EVER/dp/132629685X
This book is a collection of the 100 Greatest Newcastle United players of all time, as voted for by NewcastleUtd-Mad.co.uk readers and a panel of journalists who contribute to the website. The players are in an order of five-per-chapter, counting down from 100 to Newcastle United's greatest ever player (as viewed by the author), but the whole point of the book is for YOU (the reader) to decide who goes where. The list is not, by any means, definitive. As with all books of this nature, whether it be "Greatest Albums"; "Best Movies Of All Time"; or "Top 100 Pin-Ups Of The Year" ... no two people have exactly the same opinion. There will be controversy over who is on the list, and chances are, more controversy over who is not. Here are the best of the best. I have painted the picture with each player's profile. Where they end up in the league of NUFC's Greatest is up to you. Because YOU have the final word.
Otherwise ... if you want a signed copy (for a birthday, etc) for £9.95 and no postage ... you can meet me before a match and I will bring a copy along.
Get in touch: Kevnumad@fsmail.net
NEWCASTLE UTD 0 SHEFF WED 1
1. Tim Krul
22. Daryl Janmaat 45'
15. Jamaal Lascelles
6. Mike Williamson
18. Chancel Mbemba
8. Vurnon Anita
5. Georginio Wijnaldum
20. Florian Thauvin 45'
7. Moussa Sissoko
14. Gabriel Obertan 71'
10. Siem de Jong
Subs
2. Fabricio Coloccini
11. Yoan Gouffran
17. Ayoze Perez 45'
21. Rob Elliot
36. Ivan Toney 71'
43. Kevin Mbabu 45'
47. Daniel Barlaser
Lewis McGugan piled further misery on Steve McClaren as Sky Bet Championship Sheffield Wednesday dumped Barclays Premier League Newcastle out of the Capital One Cup.
A Wednesday side featuring 10 changes to the one which started Saturday's 3-2 victory over Fulham secured a famous 1-0 victory at St James' Park with the Magpies, who have publicly reversed their recent policy of dismissing the domestic cup competitions as an irrelevance, turning in another dreadful display.
McClaren's men did not manage a single shot of note on target over 90 soul-sapping minutes and have now won just one of the eight games they have contested so far this season with League Two Northampton their only victims in the last round of the same competition.
The former England manager fielded as strong a team as he dared, but having insisted in recent weeks that he has enough strikers with the club having not pushed home their interest in QPR's Charlie Austin during the summer, started without any of them.
His hands were tied to a degree with Aleksandar Mitrovic completing his three-match ban and Papiss Cisse and Emmanuel Riviere injured, but with Ayoze Perez sitting on the bench, it was number 10 Siem de Jong who was asked to lead the line.
Not unexpectedly, it was a task which proved beyond the Holland international as ponderous build-up and woeful service shackled the Magpies during the opening 45 minutes.
Moussa Sissoko, one of the few men to inject any pace into the game, if only fleetingly, saw an 11th-minute shot clip the outside of goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith's far post, and it took defender Tom Lees' intervention to prevent De Jong from converting the Frenchman's 30th-minute cross.
Odds for this weekend's Premier League games
For their part, the visitors grew in confidence as the half wore on with both Marco Matias and Jeremy Helan testing Tim Krul from distance, while Lees headed a McGugan corner dangerously back across the face of goal 10 minutes before the break.
McClaren's players, who had earlier been exhorted to "attack, attack, attack, attack, attack", returned after the break without skipper-for-the-night Daryl Janmaat, who had been taken ill, and Florian Thauvin as Kevin Mbabu was handed a debut and Perez was belatedly introduced, allowing De Jong to return to more familiar territory.
But Wednesday were looking increasingly threatening on the break and Krul was relieved to see Modou Sougou fire wide of the far post after blocking his initial 64th-minute effort.
Perez hit the side-netting after turning smartly on Sissoko's pass four minutes later, but it was the visitors who took the lead with 14 minutes remaining when the home side failed to deal with a ball into the box and when it broke to McGugan, he drilled it past Krul.
It could have been even worse for Newcastle had Krul not turned Lucas Joao's header on to the crossbar with substitute Sergio Bus hitting the same part of the woodwork with his follow-up three minutes later, but De Jong passed up two late opportunities to spare their blushes.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Fri 10th July (8pm BST)
Gateshead FC 0 Newcastle Utd 1 (Cisse pen)
(First half): Darlow, Janmaat, Haidara, Lascelles, Williamson, Anita, Colback, Gouffran, Cisse, Sissoko, De Jong. (Second half): Woodman, Bigirimana, Satka, Good, Ferguson, Tiote, Obertan, Aarons, Perez, Armstrong, Riviere.
Tue 14th July (8pm CT)
Club Atlas (MEX) 2 Newcastle Utd 1 (Sissoko)
Krul (Darlow 46); Janmaat (Bigirimana 72), Williamson, Lascelles, Haidara (Ferguson 72); Anita, Colback; Sissoko (Obertan 72), de Jong (Perez 72), Gouffran (Aarons 72); Cisse (Armstrong 72).
Sat 18th July (8pm UTC)
Sacramento Republic FC (USA) 0 Newcastle Utd 1 (og)
Krul (Woodman 46), Janmaat, Williamson, Lascelles (Taylor 46), Haïdara, Anita, Colback, Sissoko, Obertan (Aarons 69), de Jong (Perez 69), Cissé (Wijnaldum 69).
Tue 21st July (7.30pm UTC)
Portland Timbers (USA) 4 Newcastle Utd 3 (Wijnaldum, Aarons 2)
Darlow (Woodman 46), Bigirimana, Satka, Ferguson, Aarons; Abeid (Anita 65), Wijnaldum (Janmaat 46), Gouffran (De Jong 76), Sissoko (Obertan 46), Ayoze, Cisse (Armstrong 46).
Sun 26th July (1pm BST)
Sheffield United 2 Newcastle Utd 2 (Wijnaldum, de Jong)
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Taylor (Lascelles 69), Haïdara, Anita (Obertan 59), Colback, Sissoko (Abeid 80), Wijnaldum (De Jong 73), Perez (Aarons 45), Cissé (Armstrong 80)
Wed 29th July (7.45pm BST)
York City 2 Newcastle Utd 1 (Perez)
Darlow (Elliot HT); Bigirimana, Lascelles, Satka, Ferguson; Abeid, Gouffran; Aarons (Kemen 59), De Jong, Perez; Mitrovic (Suddick 70)
Sat 1st August (3pm BST)
Newcastle Utd 0 Borussia Mönchengladbach 1
Krul, Janmaat (Mbemba 62), Williamson, Taylor, Haïdara, Anita (De Jong 75), Colback, Sissoko (Perez 81), Obertan (Aarons 62), Wijnaldum, Cissé (Mitrovic 62).
Sunday August 9
NEWCASTLE UTD 2 SOUTHAMPTON 2 (Cisse, Wijnaldum)
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara; Colback, Anita (Tiote, 67); Sissoko, Wijnaldum (De Jong, 81), Obertan; Cisse (Mitrovic, 75). Subs not used: Darlow, Taylor, Aarons, Perez.
Saturday August 15
SWANSEA CITY 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara, Anita, Colback, Sissoko (45' Taylor), Wijnaldum, Obertan (82' Mitrovic), Cisse (54' Aarons). Subs: Williamson, Perez, Tiote, Darlow
Saturday August 22
MANCHESTER UTD 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
Krul, Mbemba, Taylor, Coloccini, Haidara, Anita, Colback, Perez (78' Tiote), Wijnaldum, Obertan (69' Thauvin), Mitrovic (88' Cisse).
Subs: Williamson, de Jong, Aarons, Darlow
Tuesday August 26
NEWCASTLE UTD 4 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1 (Thauvin, Janmaat, de Jong, Williamson
Darlow, Janmaat, Lascelles, Williamson, Haidara (78' Toney), Tiote, Gouffran, Aarons, de Jong, Thauvin (65' Mitrovic), Perez (72' Colback).
Subs: Dummett, Wijnaldum, Mbemba, Elliot.
Saturday August 29
NEWCASTLE UTD 0 ARSENAL 1
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara, Anita (72' Perez), Sissoko (78' Cisse), Wijnaldum, Thauvin (87' de Jong), Mitrovic
Subs: Obertan, Tiote, Darlow, Taylor
Monday September 14
WEST HAM UTD 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara, Anita (60' de Jong), Colback, Sissoko, Wijnaldum (79' Aarons), Thauvin (60' Perez), Cisse Subs: Gouffran, Obertan, Lascelles, Darlow
Saturday September 19
NEWCASTLE UTD 1 WATFORD 2
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara (80' Aarons), Wijnaldum, Colback, Thauvin (88' Obertan), Sissoko, Perez, Cisse (45' de Jong)
Subs: Williamson, Anita, Lascelles, Elliot
Wednesday September 23
NEWCASTLE UTD 0 SHEFF WED 1 (League Cup)
Krul, Janmaat (45' Mbabu), Lascelles, Williamson, Mbemba, Anita, Wijnaldum, Thauvin (45' Perez), Sissoko, Obertan (71' Toney), de Jong
Subs: Coloccini, Gouffran, Elliot, Barlaser
Saturday September 26
NEWCASTLE UTD 2 CHELSEA 2 (Perez, Wijnaldum)
Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Mbabu, Sissoko (90+2' de Jong), Colback (54' Obertan), Anita, Wijnaldum, Perez, Mitrovic (85' Toney)
Subs: Williamson, Lascelles, Thauvin, Elliot
Saturday October 3
15:00 Manchester City v Newcastle United
Sunday October 18
16:00 Newcastle United v Norwich City
Sunday October 25
12:00 Sunderland v Newcastle United
Saturday October 31
15:00 Newcastle United v Stoke City
Saturday November 7
12:45 Bournemouth v Newcastle United
Saturday November 21
15:00 Newcastle United v Leicester City
Saturday November 28
15:00 Crystal Palace v Newcastle United
Saturday December 5
15:00 Newcastle United v Liverpool
Saturday December 12
15:00 Tottenham v Newcastle United
Saturday December 19
15:00 Newcastle United v Aston Villa
Saturday December 26
15:00 Newcastle United v Everton
Monday December 28
15:00 W Brom v Newcastle United