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Ritchie thinks players underestimated “tough” Championship

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Newcastle winger Matt Ritchie thinks that losing the first two league matches of the season has helped the Newcastle squad adapt to life in the Championship.

The 27 year old signed from Premier League side Bournemouth for £12million in the summer and in an interview with Talksport, he said that prior to the home defeat to Huddersfield Town, he felt some pundits and fans were taking victory for granted, and that some players were also not prepared for how difficult life in England’s second tier would be:

“I honestly do think that (losing the first two games) was the best thing that happened to us. I don’t think us as players were taking it for granted, but I don’t think everybody in the dressing room was aware of how tough it was going to be this season. Especially for the fans as well, I think it made a few people realise these teams in the Championship aren’t that bad.”

Since the opening day defeat to Fulham and the loss to Huddersfield, the Magpies have been on a roll with six consecutive wins and five clean sheets. The team also seem to be playing better and better after securing their biggest win of the season against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night, and Ritchie’s side will certainly want to follow that up with another good display in their next league match against Wolves at the weekend.

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