Newcastle United are lacking confidence and don't look like a team who want to move the ball forward.
That is the worrying admission of their goalkeeper, Karl Darlow, in the aftermath of their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Newcastle put in a lifeless display in West London and the pressure is now cranking up on manager Steve Bruce after a number of disappointing displays this term.
The United boss called it a 'wonderful opportunity' to progress to a semi-final ahead of playing an opponent in a lower division but it was an opportunity his side failed to grasp.
Reflecting on the defeat at the Brentford Community Stadium, Darlow could not hide his disappointment.
"We are massively [disappointed]," Darlow told NUFC TV.
"We didn't play well enough again and we didn't start the game quickly for what it was - the chance to get into a semi-final.
"It wasn't good enough. Passing the ball, moving it quickly - we should have been bossing the game. We are a Premier League team and it wasn't good enough on the pitch.
"We need to go back and work even harder to make things better."
In many ways it felt like a 'make or break' game for Bruce's relationship with the Newcastle fans and Darlow conceded it was a game the Magpies simply had to win.
"Yeah, definitely," Darlow replied when asked if it was an opportunity lost.
"To play a Championship club to get into the semi-finals of the cup, we have got to win these games and we have got to show more on the pitch.
"We weren't great and everybody knows that. We need to look at ourselves and make sure we put it right, quickly."
Newcastle now need to regroup ahead of a brutal run of festive fixtures.
The Magpies travel to Manchester City on Boxing Day before taking on Liverpool and Leicester City at St James' Park and there is a real fear that there could be a real dent put in the eight point gap separating United from the relegation zone.
Those fears will not allayed by Darlow's comments as the Newcastle goalkeeper admitted that his side need to 'find some confidence' as they 'don't look like' they want to go forward.
"The ball didn't drop for us up front today. It was a cagey cup affair and one goal either way was going to win it," Darlow concluded.
"Unfortunately, it has gone to them so we need to be making sure we come to these sorts of games and making sure we boss the game.
"We should have come out with the victory and got ourselves into a semi-final but we have not done that tonight.
"We are the same [as the fans]. We are frustrated and I am frustrated as well.
"We need to go back to the training ground and find some confidence more than anything.
"We look like we don't want to go forward and we aren't passing through the lines well enough.
"We need to make sure we go and put whatever we need to right. We have to work harder than what we did tonight and move the ball a lot quicker."
