Paul Merson - "I think the penny has dropped.."

Paul Merson believes the penny has finally dropped for Newcastle after three wins on the spin - and he's expecting us to gather another three points this weekend, tipping us to beat West Ham 2-1 tomorrow.

As we all know, Merson hasn't always had good things to say about us and has often been ignorant even when we're doing things well, however even he seems to have been impressed by what he's seen in recent weeks.

Here's what he's had to say ahead of tomorrow's game when doing his weekly predictions for Sky Sports:

"Newcastle have three wins in a row, which I didn't see coming, but I think the penny's dropped a bit for them. I think at the start of the season, they were too negative. In the last three games, they've had a go. They've won all three and clawed their way out.

"I thought West Ham had turned the corner, but every now and then they just get a nightmare game. Last week they got blown away, but Man City will do that. I've been surprised where West Ham are, but they're back in the relegation mix and if they lose at Newcastle it could be back to being a long season again.

"You could see Marko Arnautovic kicking up a stink in January if that happens, and they're in trouble if that happens. He is the club at the moment, their shining light. I think Newcastle will edge it because of their confidence."

Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 West Ham

He claims we've 'had a go' in our last three, but I don't think we've been THAT much more attacking. We still sit fairly deep and look to counter teams, we've just been that bit better at the back, showed more intensity all over the pitch and, most importantly, we've taken our chances when they've mattered.

Yes we got away with a few BIG misses at Burnley, but the good thing about this Newcastle side is you back our defence to do their job and see us through if and when our forward do their jobs at the other end.

Do you think we'll get yet another win tomorrow and get one over on West Ham? Let's hope so - although Paul saying we'll win tends to be more of a curse than a blessing!