Here are your Newcastle United evening headlines on Monday, January 17.
Murphy makes Newcastle claim
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has claimed that Newcastle United need at least two to three more signings in the January transfer window to have a chance of staying in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe's were held to a 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Watford at St James' Park on Saturday, with Joao Pedro cancelling out Allan Saint-Maximim's terrific solo strike.
The result sees the Magpies stay in 19th, two points behind the Hornets, who sit just outside the drop zone.
After the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, Murphy believes that Newcastle must do more business in the next two weeks or risk dropping into the Championship.
He told talkSPORT: "They are going to have to improve dramatically. They had one shot on target, which at home against Watford, is unacceptable.
"They've blown away a lead on more than one occasion recently which is disappointing for Eddie Howe. The other factor is what happens in the next two weeks of the window and who they get in and who they don't as that will have a huge say in the relegation battle.
"If you're talking about bringing in Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier and whether those two are going to be the saviour, my answer would be no.
"I look at Watford and I think they have more firepower, they create more chances and take more risks which can be their undoing because they concede more goals. But at least they look like they're having a go and trying to win the game.
"If Newcastle were to get to the end of the window with just the two they've got in, which is unlikely, but I would have them to go down. I think they need two or three more at least to have a chance and I think it will be fascinating."
Fernandez issues injury update
Federico Fernandez has revealed that he is 'feeling better' as the Newcastle United defender steps up his recovery from injury.
The Argentine suffered a thigh issue last month and missed the games against Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Cambridge United and Watford as a result.
Eddie Howe rightly predicted that Fernandez would be sidelined for 'most' of January, but the Argentine provided a positive update on his progress on Instagram on Sunday.
Fernandez was photographed carrying out an individual gym session at the club's training ground and the defender simply captioned the post: 'Feeling better'.
He is a popular figure in the dressing room so, perhaps, it was not a surprise that Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy, Jamal Lewis, Sean Longstaff, Emil Krafth and Isaac Hayden were among those team-mates who liked the post.
Newcastle are in the market for at least one quality centre-back in the final weeks of the window, but Howe will be keen to have Fernandez back amongst the group as soon as possible.
Although all five of Fernandez's starts for the club this season have come under Steve Bruce, the club's former head coach, Howe has still been keen to tap into his experience.
Read more here.
Foster reflects on Newcastle draw
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster has admitted that his side didn't get started until Newcastle United took the lead in the 1-1 draw at St James' Park.
After a dominant first-half from the Magpies, Allan Saint-Maximin put the Magpies ahead in the 49th minute, before Joao Pedro headed home late on.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Newcastle, but Foster told the Watford official club website that their task was just not to lose the game.
He said: "It’s lovely to be back out there, I’m just glad I could help the team a little bit today. Today was about stopping the rot and definitely not losing.
"When you’re playing these six pointers the most important thing is to not lose, and to score like we did was very pleasing. We just need a little bit more belief. We know we've got good players but we didn’t get started until we were 1-0 down.
"It’s all down to psychology," he added. "We’re a bit better than we used to be about talking about how we’re feeling, when we’re low on confidence.
"For me it’s one of the biggest things that can hold you back. We need to address it, realise why it takes going a goal behind before we believe in ourselves. It’s almost like we’ve got nothing to lose, but we need to do that from the first minute."
