Steve Bruce has admitted responsibility for Newcastle's slump into a relegation battle this season conceding: “The buck stops with me.”
The Newcastle chief faces two key games against Aston Villa and Brighton, with owner Mike Ashley sticking with him despite a long term crisis of just two wins in 18 games.
It's five years to the day since Rafa Benitez was appointed boss, succeeding sacked Steve McClaren with ten games to go.
The club were relegated, as they were when Joe Kinnear left and was replaced with Alan Shearer with just eight games to go, as relegation loomed.
At the start of the season Bruce targeted a “top ten” finish, but reckons they were derailed in December by being the first club to have a COVID outbreak, then suffered injuries to their best three strikers, Callum Wilson, Allan Saint Maximin and Miguel Almiron.
That trio are aiming to be back after the international break, and Bruce said: “The buck stops with me. I understand that. The top ten (aim) was because we finished 13 th and wanted to improve on what we accomplished last year.
“With the problems we have had, when I analyse the season, we were going along very nicely until COVID hit. And then the injuries to our big players have been a real big problem to handle. That is what it is. That's what we've been dealt with.
“I don't think that is an excuse. We still have an opportunity to climb up the table and finish where we finished last year. I think all of us would accept that, take it now. It's not what we set out to be but it is the way we are at the minute.”
It is now or never for Ashley to make a change at the top, but it appears he has decided to stick with Bruce and go for continuity.
On past sackings at this stage of the season in 2009 and 2016, Bruce added: “You will have to ask Mike that or people above me. I am only focused on one thing: do the best I possibly can, with all the experience I have got, to make sure we stay here and that we don't have that fate.
“I am the wrong one to ask. I am focused on Aston Villa, can we win then a huge game against Brighton. And look, we are capable of winning the pair of them. We understand how difficult it is, because of the problems we have got. But I will do my utmost to make sure we are prepared.”
The Geordies position is more perilous because revived Fulham have closed a ten point gap with third bottom. Bruce added: “There is no doubt they have had a good couple of weeks, and outstanding results at Liverpool. All the bottom six or seven are nervously looking over their shoulder.
“The quicker you get the magical figure, whatever it may be, the better. They have closed the gap but there is a long way to go.
“You lose more than you win in the bottom half. You have to keep the spirit going. We have invested all our money in the top of the pitch. We have invested in quality and we want to draw every bit of it.
Without three that we have invested in for their creativity we will miss it. It has been particularly cruel. We have to find a way.”
“We would like to have it done and dusted before the final game. We have to get as many points as we can, all to play for.”
Ryan Fraser has warned Newcastle must avoid “moping” about results.
The Scotland international reckons Newcastle have played better in the last seven games, and reckons training has also improved “in the last two months.”
Interestingly, Graeme Jones joined Steve Bruce's staff in mid January to help overhaul tactics and planning and lift the squad.
Fraser said: “We've got to win the game. We focus on this game, a must win. It is not a nice position to be in but we can't mope about it and have to do everything to get ourselves out of it.
“We have been so much better the last seven games, creating chances. It is more positive. We will give everything and hopefully it will look brighter.
“I want to try and get a run in the team which I haven't had.
“Training has been really good now, like it has been for the last two months.”
