Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot has confessed that the feel-good factor surrounding the club following their promotion from the Championship has already faded.
The Magpies finished top of the table in the second tier last time out to earn an instant top-flight return and looked ready for a possible top-half assault.
Boss Rafael Benitez has been left frustrated by a lack of transfer activity, however, while on the field United have kicked things off with back-to-back defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town.
Elliot admits that the ongoing transfer debate is having an effect on him and his teammates, telling reporters: "With the stories flying around – w haven't got enough, we have got enough – I don't think it's very fair on the squad. They did such a terrific job last year and we've brought in some good players.
"We just wanted it to be about looking forward to the Premier League season, unfortunately it's not been that. As a group we now have to stay strong and take that on board. Playing for Newcastle isn't like playing for other clubs; the pressure and the expectation that comes with it, you've got to be able to handle that to play for Newcastle.
"I think the lads have done and they've done brilliantly, and the new signings look good. I think we just need to gel, get settled and push on for ourselves. It feels like the joy and the feeling of coming up seems to have gone away very quickly before we kicked a ball.
"I think that's out of our hands and the manager's but the only thing we can do is make sure on the pitch we're doing the right things and working hard in training, which we are. With the injuries and the results, we're not getting the rub of the green but that's the Premier League, you get punished for anything, that's the difference between that and the Championship."
Newcastle, currently 17th in the league table after their losing start, turn attention to the EFL Cup on Wednesday night when they take on Nottingham Forest.
