Kevin Nolan has claimed that the formation of "little cliques" could be the reason for Newcastle United's recent poor form.

The West Ham United midfielder, who plays against his old club on Saturday at Upton Park, believes that Newcastle's team spirit will be crucial as they look to move away from the threat of relegation.

Nolan said: "I've been in relegation battles for a lot of my career and that's always the massive worry because people start going: 'it's his fault, not mine. I've done alright.'

"You don't want that. You want to be able to look the other lads in the eye and be able to say that no matter what happens today, this is us, this is what we're about and we're going to give it a good go.

"But it's about them now sticking together. They have got to make sure that when the little cliques come then they have to stick together as a team, as a whole, as a group."

Newcastle are currently five points above the relegation zone.