The promoted Magpies are battling to establish themselves in the Premier League this season, having collected eight points to leave them 16th in the standings. After taking just one point from their last three games, Newcastle head to West Ham on Saturday in danger of slipping into the relegation zone for the first time. The poor run of results has caused Hughton's position to come under scrutiny for the first time since the 51-year-old took over in a permanent role last year. But Hughton, who twice stepped in as caretaker boss at St James' Park during the 2008-09 relegation season when the Magpies had four different managers, knows change can sometimes do more harm than good. "It is vital there is stability," Hughton told the Daily Star. "I have spoken to Derek Llambias (managing director), but any issues about my own position have not cropped up." Newcastle have lost as many games already this season as they did throughout last term's Championship-winning campaign. Hughton, however, accepts there are likely to be plenty more defeats and feels the setbacks are just part and parcel of his team's battle to re-establish themselves in the top flight. "We've always been aware we will lose more games this season than last and we've spoken to them (the players) about dealing with defeat," he said. "These are the same group of players who have already been through many ups and downs here. "It's important they stay strong through the difficult times and so far they've been able to do that."
