LONDON (UK) – After a dismal run of form, the confidence of Newcastle United has taken a beating. But manager Steve Bruce said he would not desist from the challenge of turning around the club’s sagging fortunes.
In their last 10 matches in all competitions, Newcastle have remained bereft of victory. This made them slip to the 16th position in the Premier League with 19 points from the same number of games.
Bruce is facing increased pressure after Saturday’s 2-0 thrashing by Aston Villa. Fans gathered outside St James’ Park seeking his sacking. “It’s a difficult situation,” said Bruce.
“All you can do is prepare as best you can and try to ignore the noise. We need to go and get a result. I’ve seen little bits of promise but confidence is a little bit low.
“I’ve been in this situation before and you draw on your experience with it. There’s no doubt at all it’s difficult, but I’m still convinced. The one thing I’ll never do is shy away from a challenge. I’ll get stuck into it and try as best I can.”
In their last eight matches, the club have scored just once. But Bruce hopes the return of wingers Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser from illness and suspension will resolve their goalscoring troubles.
“Let’s hope they both stay well because if they do, I’m convinced they’ll provide enough ammunition that we need to score,” he said.
Defenders Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett will not be playing because of injuries, he said.
