Last season’s Premiership was highly competitive between most sides, but Newcastle finished 27 points adrift at the bottom after losing all 18 games.
It was beginning to look like a similar scenario in the new campaign as they opened with four defeats, but victory moved them one point behind Exeter, albeit still in 10th place.
With the demise of London Irish, Worcester Warriors and Wasps still fresh in the memory, Diamond understands that the slimmed-down 10-team competition needs a competitive Newcastle outfit, as they prepare to face Gloucester on Saturday.
“I know we’re not going to win every game, but I need us to be competitive every game,” he said.
“Sometimes that is more important than some wins. If we don’t win, we still pick up points and pick up respect.
“And opponents start to think, ‘Crikey, we’ve got to go to Newcastle and win’.
“Newcastle have gone up and down a couple of times, but they have never been looked at in the way it was starting to look.”
