Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has revealed he's taken the work he's done with a sports psychologist away from the pitch.

Shelvey credits the mental work with his form improvements.

He told the Newcastle match programme: “He bought me a little black notebook, and after training and games I'll write three things down that I've done well and three things that I didn't do well.

“I'll take it to the golf as well and I'll write after every hole – what club I'd hit and how I hit it, things like that. It helps, because you've got something to read back and something to learn from. I'll keep doing it.

“He's always on the other end of the phone and he's always helping out. It doesn't have to be a long meeting – it can take five or ten minutes sometimes – but he's just there if I ever need to ring him and get things off my chest. Even if I've had a good game, he tells me to ring him and tell him what I've done well and didn't do well. It makes you take a step back and look at things from another angle, and from other people's perspectives."

Meanwhile, Alan Shearer is confident manager Rafa Benitez has the support of the Toon army.

"I think he is doing a magnificent job and the vast majority of fans are with him and know what he is going through, and having to put up with," he told BBC Sport.

"I was not surprised the club did not spend more money in the January transfer window because of what was going on in the background with the failed takeover, and I know Benitez wanted to strengthen his squad more than he did."