Things will turn ugly for Steve Bruce if Newcastle lose to Burnley – opinion

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Newcastle United have had a grim start to the season, but things could improve if they advance in the Carabao Cup.

The Magpies face Burnley in an all Premier League affair, and both sides will see the League Cup as their best shot at silverware this season.

Ahead of the game, Steve Bruce admitted that, while he will make changes, he intends to pick a strong team.

It should be a competitive game, and the fringe players who Bruce picks will hopefully come out fighting with a point to prove.

The Magpies did well in the Carabao Cup last season, reaching the quarter finals. However, their journey wasn’t straightforward, and they arguably should have gone further.

Bruce’s men needed penalties to get past League Two Newport County, while they were denied a place in the final four by a far from full strength Brentford side.

The loss to the Bees was horrendous, and was a night where a lot of fans truly turned on the manager. Fortunately for Bruce, supporters still weren’t allowed inside stadiums.

Carabao Cup exit would be disastrous for Newcastle and Bruce

The mood is already low among Toon fans. The collapse against West Ham was demoralising, while the Aston Villa defeat was a woeful performance, reminiscent of the lows of last season.

The League Cup clash with Burnley could be a welcome distraction for Bruce, and a chance to boost morale among his players.

A win against a Premier League side would certainly boost confidence going into this weekend’s game with Southampton.

However, a defeat could mean things start to get ugly for Bruce.

So far, the fans have been kind. Despite the defeat, the atmosphere against West Ham was great. Fans were ecstatic to be back inside St James’ Park.

But the novelty will soon wear off. The mood inside the stadium will turn very sour if performances and results don’t improve.

The Toon boss is already on thin ice with a lot of fans after some truly horrifying outings last season. Some of the performances were totally unacceptable.

Luckily for Bruce, there was no noise inside the stadiums last season. Twitter was loud, but that’s easy to ignore.

The boos will be deafening sooner rather than later if Newcastle don’t start improving.

If we crash out of the League Cup to Burnley, things could begin to get ugly. After just two games, Bruce is already in a must-win situation.