Steve Bruce has been accused of treating Newcastle United players like 'children' following the hammering by Leicester City.
That's the view of pundit Danny Mills following reports the head coach cancelled training in the wake of the demolition at the King Power Stadium.
The Magpies slumped into the relegation zone following a dismal second-half display which saw ten-man United ship four goals.
Bruce compared the performance to a "surrender", and Mills believes the head coach is desperately searching for a way to trigger a response from the players ahead of the visit of Manchester United on Sunday.
Lee Ryder on Charnley confronting Bruce in Leicester tunnel
Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “Sometimes you’re trying to find any which way you can to find a reaction. Shouting and screaming isn’t always the best way.
“It’s effectively ignoring somebody, isn’t it? Like the parents saying to the child: ‘I’m disappointed in you. I’m disappointed in you, go and think about your behaviour.’
“Maybe that might work and if that works, then great. He’s clearly trying everything he can to try and get a performance out of them.
"It’s one of those performances where Steve Bruce has to come in and say: ‘Write it off, we forget that performance, it happened, it’s gone, we move forward.'”
