Joe Kinnear could be about to improve the Newcastle landscape through his use of "the dark arts", according to Manchester City manager Mark Hughes.
The interim boss is already making waves both on and off the field, just weeks into his stewardship. In Kinnear's first game in charge, Newcastle came from 2-0 down to secure a draw against Everton. That spirited performance followed an infamous rant at a group of journalists in his opening media conference.
Hughes said: "He has made an immediate impact. I think that is what he anticipated he was going to do. Looking from the outside, it seems as though he needed to get something off his chest. It appears to to have galvanised the team and the club."
He added: "Everyone seems to be pulling closer together. They had a decent result against Everton, coming back from 2-0 down to draw.
"That shows there is fire in the side. He got the reaction he wanted.
"Joe has been a football man for many years. He understands how the game works and maybe he is using every dark art he can find out there to make sure the club is successful. Every manager looks to do that."
Former Manchester United and Chelsea striker Hughes came up against Kinnear in the 1990s when he was manager of Wimbledon.
He believes the 61-year-old has a different kind of job to perform today on Tyneside.
Hughes said: "Joe's teams had a certain style of play you had to combat. You had to stand up to the fight. I think what he is trying to do now is instil a little bit more confidence into a very good group of players.
"What Newcastle lack is that confidence of winning games, week-in, week out. There is a lot of pressure on them from lots of outside influences and from themselves as well. They are good players who maybe have not performed as people would expect them to. It is a case of building their confidence."
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