Newcastle United captain Dan Burn has claimed the players are aware that their loss against Coventry City was simply not good enough and that they have to take it as a lesson of how unforgiving the Premier League can be.
Burn returns to a lost cause
The 6 ft 7 in defender came on at the Coventry Building Society Arena as his team were 4-1 down. He was making his first competitive appearance since playing for England at the World Cup after recovering from an ankle problem.
Joelinton, William Osula and Amar Dedic also returned to the squad, but their presence failed to alter the result against Frank Lampard’s newly promoted side.
Some of the 3,030 Newcastle fans who made the trip to the East Midlands booed their team. Their night did not end at the final whistle. Many faced lengthy train delays on the way home the following morning, having already travelled from Coventry to Birmingham New Street.
Burn, a boyhood Newcastle fan, understood the sentiments of his fans. Speaking to the media after the game, he thanked them for their support and claimed that the team’s poor results are not a sign of the team’s lack of effort.
The player emphasised that the margins in the Premier League are tight, and the players are ready to do whatever it takes to turn things around.
“You can’t concede four away from home”
Burn was very honest about Newcastle’s display, saying that conceding four goals was a disappointment after their win over Hull. They were hoping to show more consistency after Saturday’s win.
The manager admitted that going behind did pose problems, but he felt that they had created enough chances to get back into the game, and had they taken them, the game could have been very different.
Burn also paid tribute to Coventry’s finishing, with a number of their goals coming from outside the box. He said scoring four times at home should provide a team with a good opportunity to take something from the game.
Newcastle had been on the brink of fourth place before kick-off, but Burn said the defeat highlighted how quickly things can change near the top of the table. He called it a ‘learning curve’ for a team which has gone through a huge transformation. Newcastle had one of the oldest squads in the league last season but now have one of the youngest, and Burn believes the main lesson is that they cannot afford an off night because the opposition will take advantage.
Focus turns to Aston Villa
Despite the disappointment, Burn said the dressing room has been building up and is hungry to reply. He underlined the need to find consistency and bounce back quickly.
The chance comes on Saturday when Newcastle host Aston Villa at 17:30 BST. Matthias Jaissle’s side are in 11th place, having won eight points from six games, but have conceded the most goals in the division in line with Bournemouth and Chelsea.
A solitary clean sheet in their last 14 league games is a worrying statistic considering the job that new boss Burn has to do. Now that the defender is back and on form, he will be looking to tighten things up at the back.
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