Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles gives Steve Bruce backing amid sack pressure from fans

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Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles has backed Steve Bruce amid calls from some fans for the manager to be sacked. Monday’s defeat at Arsenal left the Magpies facing a Premier League relegation battle after losing five of their last seven top-flight games

The 1,000 strong Toon For Change has joined the club’s Supporters Trust, and the podcasters of the leading fanzine True Faith, in calling for Bruce to go “before it’s too late”.

Bruce’s side are winless in nine games in all competitions and have scored just once in their last seven.

Lascelles admitted they were “terrible” as they conceded three goals in the second half against the Gunners.

And ahead of crucial games against Aston Villa on Saturday then Leeds United next Tuesday, the skipper insisted he and his team-mates need to “look at ourselves” rather than allow Bruce to take all the flak.

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“Of course it is tough,” said Lascelles, quoted by The Mirror. We are annoyed at ourselves. We are disappointed with the situation we are in.

“First half at Arsenal was alright, the second half was terrible and we have to look at ourselves as players. We thought we’d put up a better performance.

“I have been in a lot of tough situations. It is about how you deal with them. Arsenal went 10 without a win and turned it around.

“We have the players to do it. We have to stick together with the manager and staff and players and try to do the right things and hopefully it will start to get better.”

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Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville reckons Newcastle’s issues on the pitch stem from a “cultural problem” in the boardroom rather than manager Bruce.

The Sky Sports pundit believes the manager in charge at Newcastle is not important when the club’s overall outlook is so unambitious.

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“The unhappiness towards this manager is embedded just from their history, rather than who he is and the job he is doing,” Neville said.

“If I was a Newcastle fan, I’d be unhappy now, I’d be unhappy under Rafa Benitez, I’d be unhappy under Steve McClaren, I’d be unhappy under the previous three managers before that. It’s been appalling for the last 10 or 12 years.”

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