PARTY TYNE
Merino late strike takes Newcastle to seventh, and the club’s takeover will mean exciting times ahead, says Rob Elliot
ROB ELLIOT has admitted a potential takeover of Newcastle is “exciting.”
The Newcastle keeper kept another clean sheet as Rafa Benitez’s men moved into seventh place thanks to Mikel Merino’s header.
Elliot revealed there is a positive vibe on and off the pitch and wants to ensure it stays.
Newcastle were watched from the directors’ box by wealthy Geordie legend Sting, and Jimmy Nail.
Elliot said: “There’s obviously interest which is exciting for everyone.
“Hopefully someone comes in who can take the club forward, which will be great. The infrastructure is fantastic.
“As players we just hope everything works out for the club because we’ve been through a lot these past few years, but there’s a positive vibe around the place and we’ve got to make sure we continue with that.
“We want this to be a longterm thing, where we’re always looking forward and not back.”
Merino struck with four minutes left, in a further huge boost to the club’s first aim of survival, before pushing to mid-table at least.
But Benitez (above) warned: “My message to everybody is that we have achieved nothing. We have to keep going.
“If we lose three games in a row, everybody will be panicking, but we are in a really good position.
“We have to keep doing the same things and stick together. We can be stronger if we keep this idea. If we think we have done a great job, we will not.
“I’m always demanding. You cannot think you have achieved anything because in my experience, if you do that, you won’t achieve anything.”
This wasn’t a polished Newcastle performance but they stayed tight and toughed out a win.
Elliot added: “This club is not a stepping stone for players anymore and it should never be. Those days are gone. The players here are all young, all hungry, and most importantly they are all wanting to play for this club.
“Last year players left the Premier League to come and play for us down in the Championship and that shows the size of us. “The age of the players coming in, they’re here to develop and get better and take the club forward.
“We’re in the top-half of the league and we can keep developing that, not just for this season but hopefully for more to come.”
Palace boss Roy Hodgson insisted “huge improvements” have been made since he took charge.
“Huge from the first game against Southampton,” he said. “But you can never be happy after a defeat. It knocks the stuffing out of you and takes away any shine you might have seen in the performance.
“There is probably even more disappointment as the players agreed. They thought they played well and deserved something.”