Steve Bruce should be sacked if Newcastle lose to Morecambe

If Newcastle United lose to the 14th-place club in League Two, Steve Bruce should be shown the door.

After a supremely poor performance vs. Brighton and Hove Albion yesterday, Newcastle United will be back in action midweek when they face Morecambe FC in the Carabao Cup. While it’s early in the season and dangerous to make big decisions based on one match, Steve Bruce’s job should depend on the Magpies getting a win.

The Brighton result absolutely factors in here as Bruce got it all wrong against the Seagulls in a 3-0 loss. His club finished with zero shots on target at home and was already trailing by two goals by the ten-minute mark.

But, this is primarily because of the quality of the opponent in this EFL Cup third-round matchup. Morecambe FC have played in League Two since 2007 and haven’t finished in the top ten since 2009-10. Last season, they finished 22nd out of 24 teams and conceded a league-high 60 goals.

On Saturday, they were blown out in league play by Cambridge United. There was squad rotation from their Carabao Cup win over Oldham Athletic, including Newcastle United loanee Jake Turner taking over in goal. But, they still lost to a fellow fourth division side and will now be facing off against a Premier League club less than a week later.

There will surely be squad rotation for Newcastle and this article isn’t to demand or expect something like a 7-0 victory. It’s simply to say that if Newcastle United do not end this match with a victory against a poor League Two side, Brucey should be given his walking papers.