It's decision time for Mike Ashley on Steve Bruce after shocking Newcastle United defeat

Most, if not all, fans have seemingly made up their minds about Steve Bruce, and their views will have only hardened following last night’s 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Bruce, up to now, has retained the all-important backing of Ashley, the club’s owner.

Ashley has never been particularly troubled by the views of fans, though what should trouble him now is the direction the team.

Newcastle are without a win in eight games and are out of both cups – and the loss at Bramall Lane felt significant.

It had the feel of the 3-1 home defeat to Bournemouth which cost Steve McClaren his job five years ago – and the 3-0 loss at Manchester City which led to the sacking of Graeme Souness in 2007.

This season, of course, was supposed to be about a push for a top-10 place following a 13th-placed finish last season. Bruce got the players he wanted in the summer – £20million striker Callum Wilson was the highest-profile arrival – but United fans have not got the football they want from their team.

And, almost 18 months into his tenure, the team still doesn’t have an identity under Bruce. We know how Bruce wants his team to play, but he’s not been able to get them consistently on to the front foot.

Instead, the side has regressed, and against Sheffield United, his tactics and team selection seemingly handed the initiative to a team which hadn’t won in 17 Premier League games before a ball was kicked.

Worryingly, some of the players didn’t seem to understand their roles, not least the two “false No.10s”, Sean Longstaff and Ryan Fraser. Fraser let Bruce – and the club – down with his dismissal before the break.

That behind-closed-doors defeat was a new low for the club under Bruce – and led to a social media backlash.

Supporters, understandably, are asking if Bruce – who inherited a tight-knit, committed group of players – has lost the dressing room as well as the fanbase.

The team, which will take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, has taken 19 points from 17 games – and it’s still eight points above the relegation zone.

Bruce last week said that the club was not in a relegation battle, but the worry on Tyneside is that that gap will quickly narrow.

Ashley, trying to resurrect a £300million sale of the club via arbitration, won’t want to lose Newcastle’s would-be buyers through a relegation.

Bruce insisted at Bramall Lane that he wouldn’t resign.

“Yes, I’m bitterly disappointed that we haven’t played well enough, especially in the first half,” said United’s head coach. "But I’ll leave that (discussions about his future) to other people – you’re asking the wrong person.

"I’ll never, ever walk away from a challenge, and I think I’ve been in it long enough to have that respect.

“I understand that, especially watching the first half, we weren’t good enough, and at the end of the day, I take the responsibility for that because I pick the team.”

So if Bruce is to go, then Ashley must make a decision – and the case for action is getting stronger.

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