At the end of a week where there has been much debate about the word ‘surrender’ and the appropriateness of using it, Newcastle’s display was accurately described as such by Steve Bruce.
It was a nightmare day for Newcastle – topped off by Isaac Hayden’s sending off – but the writing was on the wall an hour before kick-off, when Bruce’s team-sheet was revealed.
The starting lineup he named was underwhelming in the extreme, and with the surprise selection of Yoshinori Muto instead of Allan Saint-Maximin, any optimism of getting something from the game was already drifting away.
The decision to go for a more conventional 4-4-2 was also a surprise, but although some fans have wanted to see that formation employed, a game away to a high-flying Leicester side was not the place to do it.
We have picked out some of the things we learned from the dismal defeat.
Sean Longstaff is worryingly way off last season’s form
Longstaff made all the headlines last season, and rightly so, as he burst onto the Premier League scene, before he was sidelined due to a serious knee injury.
Whether it is the after-effects of that issue or not, the local midfielder looks a shadow of the player he was last campaign.
But there are other mitigating factors that may have affected his game: the speculation and talk of Manchester United’s interest in the summer; or whether he is not being used in the same way by Bruce as he was by his former boss Rafa Benitez.
Letting Mo Diame leave, and not strengthening the central midfield areas in the summer, was largely down to the potential of Longstaff, so whatever the reason for his dramatic dip in form, Bruce needs to get it sorted out immediately.
Muto’s last chance came and went at Leicester
Muto was a bit of an unknown quantity when Rafa signed him in the summer of 2018, but most fans now know what he is, and unfortunately for the Japanese striker, it is that he is not good enough for the Premier League.
Apart from one strike at Old Trafford last season, he has never looked like scoring in England’s top division, with his only other Toon goal coming in the EFL Cup game against the Foxes earlier this season.
If Bruce’s reason for selecting him ahead of Saint-Maximin – who completely changed the game against Brighton a week ago – was because he had a decent game and scored in the League Cup, then it is speaks volumes about his ability as a manager.
Muto cannot be afforded any more chances at St James’ Park, particularly given the dire state the club is in, and he simply must be sold in January.
Bruce looks devoid of ideas
We are seven games into the season, and seven games into Bruce’s Newcastle career, and already he looks like a beaten man.
His tactics are inept, his team selections are head-scratching and his motivational skills seem non-existent.
Most fans were worried about his appointment in the summer, but they will be a lot more worried now.
He seems devoid of any ideas to rectify the situation, and as sad is it sounds, this team under his management simply has relegation written all over it.
Players do not seem to be playing for Bruce like they did for Rafa
Despite all the public utterances about how much they are enjoying training under Bruce, or drawing a line in the sand on the Benitez era, it looks glaringly obvious that the players do not look as committed to Bruce’s cause as they were for the Spaniard.
They would have run through the proverbial brick wall for Rafa, but have they shown any inclination to do that for Bruce this season?
Fabian Schar and Paul Dummett apart, there is not a single player in a black and white shirt who has performed anywhere near the levels they were last season.
So if they want fans to believe the things they say during interviews, they need to back their words up on the pitch.
Newcastle fans are the best in the business
It has been said many times before, but our magnificent supporters deserve so much more than the absolute rubbish they have to endure on the pitch every week.
They were absolutely superb at Leicester, and to hear them passionately and defiantly backing their side throughout a second-half that saw the team capitulate, was enough to bring tears to the eyes.
They made their feelings towards the owner known in the first half – despite Sky Sports seeming to abruptly turn the microphones in front of the away section down as soon as the first lines of ‘get out of our club’ were sung.
But when they found their side five goals down, and continued to blast out their adoration for the team, they epitomised why Ashley’s ownership and Bruce’s management is an utter betrayal to their loyalty.
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