NEWCASTLE are looking for successive wins to kick off the Premier League season when they take on Bournemouth today - at the start of a pivotal week for the Magpies.

United head for Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night and are still active in the transfer window ahead of Friday night's deadline. Eddie Howe's admission that he'll be glad to see the back of a difficult window features in this week's North East Notes, as does the latest from Michael Carrick on Middlesbrough's goalkeeper situation and a former Sunderland loanee on the move.

HOWE'S 'NOT IDEAL' TRANSFER ADMISSION

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is looking forward to the end of the transfer window and the "nonsense" that comes with it.

Howe is experienced enough to be unaffected by speculation but admits it's not always possible to make sure that's the case with his players.

This has been a difficult and at times "unsettling" window for the Magpies and Howe and Newcastle's head coach will be glad come 11pm on Friday night.

He said: "As managers, we learn to live with it in this world because we have to. But it's not ideal, there is a lot going on. Nowadays, if you put every player into your phone they have probably been linked to other clubs and 99% of it is nonsense... you know the truth. 99% of it is nonsense but you can't change the player being affected by what they read and what he takes in.

"And suddenly a whole thought process goes away from what he needs to focus on which is the next training session ands the next game. So, the better the player can block it the better you will be as a team but it is certainly unsettling depending on how much noise there is around that player."

CARRICK'S 'NO CHANGE' TO THE KEEPER SITUATION CLAIM

Middlesbrough host Stoke City on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup with Sol Brynn likely to get another chance to impress between the posts having played in the first round against Leeds United.

Tom Glover was on the bench for Boro's opening weekend Championship win over Swansea City, but since Brynn's debut against Leeds the Teessider has been Seny Dieng's deputy, with Glover left out of the squad for the league games against Derby and Portsmouth.

That has sparked inevitable questions about Glover's future, with Carrick repeatedly asked about Boro's goalkeeper situation over the summer and whether the Australian international could move on.

With just days of the transfer situation now remaining, Carrick was asked again about the keepers and Glover's future after the draw with Portsmouth, saying: "As of now there's no change. We have three good goalkeepers and there's no change from my side."

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EX-SUNDERLAND LOANEE WANTS TO 'PUT HIS POINT ACROSS'

After Sunderland opted against making Callum Styles' loan move permanent this summer, the Hungary international has now joined rivals West Brom, signing a four-year deal with the Baggies.

Styles made 12 appearances in the Championship for Sunderland in the second half of last season but didn't do enough to tempt the Black Cats into making the move permanent.

And now he says he wants to show what he's capable of at the Hawthorns.

“This is a big club and it should be in the Premier League," he said.

"The ambition for everyone is to get back there. I couldn’t turn an opportunity like this down.

“I think some of my best attributes are being good on the ball, driving forward with the ball and trying to make things happen for my team. I’ve got good energy and I think my positional awareness and understanding of the game will help the team a lot.

“I can play in a couple of positions and you might see me playing out on the left side as an attacking wing-back as well as in the middle of the pitch, which is where I’ve played all my life. I’d like to put my case across in any of those positions and hopefully start as many games as possible.

“I really want to be successful here, both as an individual and as part of the team.”