Steve Bruce reveals reaction of Newcastle United's players to having day off cancelled

Bruce called his players in the day after the club's 3-1 defeat to Norwich City last Saturday.

United's head coach was angry at the performance of his team at Carrow Road, where Teemu Pukki scored a hat-trick.

Speaking after the game, Bruce said: "I can't go on to the pitch with them. The one thing in management I've always tried to instil into my team is we make mistakes, but I can't forgive a performance where, basically, you don't put your boots on.

“Unfortunately, it's happened already, which is the second game in, but I'll do all I can to make sure that changes.”

Bruce held an inquest into the defeat last Sunday with his squad, who are preparing for Sunday's televised Premier League game away to Tottenham Hotspur.

“They were fine with it," said Buce. "We had them in on Sunday. It’s something I’ve done in the past. A lot of clubs do it and have the Monday off. The reaction of the players has been fine since I’ve been here."

There was an backlash on Tyneside to the performance and result against newly-promoted Norwich. Bruce, however, believes that it was a one-off, and he's confident his team will perform better against Tottenham, who have taken four points so far.

“It’s a bit early to have soul searching," said the 58-year-old. "We just have to perform better.”