There aren't any excuses for the latest Newcastle United relegation battle

Steve Bruce got the players he wanted through the door at St James’s Park last summer – but Newcastle United fans haven’t got the football they had wanted this season.

Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser strengthened the club’s squad, yet the team has, until a few weeks ago, all too often been weaker on the pitch.

Yes, the Covid-19 outbreak at the club’s training ground late last year affected the squad and coaching staff, but no, that doesn’t entirely explain the team’s problems this season.

Injuries, of course, have also been an issue for Newcastle – and every other Premier League club – given an impossibly-congested fixture list.

Bruce has cited these factors when discussing the club’s poor form this season, but, really, there are no excuses for the predicament the club finds itself in at this stage of the season.

Bruce has repeatedly spoken about his desire to take the club forward since taking charge in the summer of 2018 following Rafa Benitez’s controversial departure.

Speaking in December in the wake of a Carabao Cup defeat to Brentford, United’s head coach said: “Since I walked through the door, the first thing I have tried to do is take the club forward. That’s my job. I’m a Newcastle fan, like everyone knows.”

The team, however, had been edging backwards until the arrival of coach Graeme Jones late last month.

Newcastle have moved forwards with Jones in the dugout – the club has won two out of its last three games – but the team remains in an uncomfortable position.

So we had Newcastle fans nervously watching Sunday’s Everton-Fulham game at Goodison Park – and hoping for a home win.

As it was, the third-bottom visitors won 2-0 to move within seven points of Newcastle. Scott Parker’s spirited side, impressive in a 1-1 draw at St James’s Park before Christmas, also have a game in hand on United, who take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tonight.

United, at least, now have a more settled formation following the arrival of Jones, though the loss of Callum Wilson is a significant blow given the team’s reliance on his goals.

"We’ll have to be without him for the best part of six, eight weeks,” said Bruce. “We’ll not put a timescale on it, of course, but it’s a bad tear on his hamstring. It’s devastating news for all of us.”

One thing have never had under Bruce – who last month demanded more “respect” from journalists reporting on the club – is an identity. There’s always been a conflict between how he has wanted to play – and how he has had to play so not to be too open.

Has Jones helped Bruce – who last summer asked fans to judge him on results – square the circle?

Miguel Almiron’s move to No.10 has paid dividends in recent games, and Allan Saint-Maximin’s return from Covid-19 has given the team another dimension.

This squad, unquestionably, should not be struggling near the foot of the Premier League. Newcastle should be pushing for a top-10 place this season, but this isn’t the time for recriminations. That time will come.

For now, it’s depressingly about Premier League survival – again.

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