A bigger job than we knew; But Dowie still confident: Bigger job than we knew.

Byline: Mark Douglas 

IAIN Dowie admits that reversing Newcastle United's decline has proved a bigger job than he thought it would be.

But Alan Shearer's assistant is adamant it is not mission impossible - and insists the team are confident they can emerge victorious from Monday's make-or-break North East derby with Middlesbrough.

The team's build-up for that game began today, minus the suspended Joey Barton, with Shearer and Dowie implementing another new formation on the training ground as part of the preparations for the Tyne-Tees .

Those plans have been boosted by the probable return of Steven Taylor after the defender re-joined full training at the start of the week, although the suspension of Barton has provoked much comment among neutral observers.

However 'Barton-gate' has barely warranted a mention in the dressing room, according to Dowie - who is hoping to see a fierce intensity when the players reconvene today ahead of the Boro clash.

So far under Shearer and Dowie, changes in attitude and demeanour offfield have been forthcoming thanks to the rigorous new disciplinary code, but those improvements have not yet been matched by better results.

Reversing the decline that had set in long before Dowie and Shearer's time has been a huge challenge - and even though they didn't take it on lightly, even they are surprised at the sheer scale of the job.

"Things have been a bit tougher than maybe we anticipated. It is a bigger job than we thought - but then this is a much bigger club that I expected," he said. "But

Turn to Page 56 it's not an impossible job. Me and Alan are both positive people and have to remain positive. The players are looking to Alan for leadership and he's been a leader." While frustrating, Barton's indiscretion is just the latest in a long line of issues that had to be resolved by Shearer.

An overly relaxed attitude to training and club meetings seems to have been another - and the United boss's new rules have been welcomed by the squad.

They might seem like measures designed to improve matters in the longterm, but Dowie insists they can have a short-term impact, too.

"I always think it's best not to talk about what went on before. But we have had to implement a lot of things in the short time that we've been here," he said.

"The way we want to run the club - getting that right is important. Albeit we're only in initially for a brief time - getting those things right is important.

"They might look like long-term measures to correct certain things but they will benefit us in the short-term.

"I can't wait to see the reaction of the players when we start working on the formation and the line-up today.

"That's where we get a sense of the urgency and the desire to turn things around in this game and I'm looking forward to seeing it in the players. Confidence is still high." It will need to be for the visit of Gareth Southgate's Boro in a game that will shape United's season. Lose it and Newcastle are as good as down - victory and safety is once again within reach. Dowie says that the players should welcome that kind of pressure. "There's no question that this is an absolutely pivotal game," he said. "We must come out of it with three points. "You can dress it up any other way and talk about not putting any unnecessary pressure on the lads but the players that Alan picks will have to cope with it .

"It will be a wonderful occasion to play in. The stakes of the match are absolutely huge but on the flipside it should be a wonderful spectacle - and everyone has to rise to the occasion." Meanwhile, while Taylor is back, there is no chance of Jose Enrique making an early return from a hamstring injury. "Jose is going through the process of a rehab from a hamstring injury and he certainly won't be available for Monday," Dowie revealed. "Steven Taylor is training fully and we're pleased with him and everything that he has done so far. "Now we see how it reacts later in the week. It's really just a case of seeing where we are - he's trained fully a few times this week. It is a possibility that he'll play on Monday, we'll have a better idea in the coming days."