The Chronicle

Head coach wants to see resilient Toon hit back

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STEVE Bruce says Newcastle United have to ‘take the punches that come along’ but wants to see his players hit back after back-to-back defeats.

The Magpies head to Crystal Palace with fans getting increasing­ly agitated by the club’s lack of progress and panache.

Attritiona­l performanc­es and negative results are not a good combinatio­n but Bruce believes his side have the mental toughness to turn things around, starting tonight.

He said: “In the last couple [of games], we’ve found it difficult. We haven’t played well enough, we accept that and move on.

“That’s the Premier League, you’ve got to take the punches that come along, but it’s important we show that resilience we’ve shown over the last 16 or 18 months since I’ve been here.”

Bruce added: “We’ve had a difficult couple of weeks. We played against a good Southampto­n team and a top Chelsea team, and in both games, we’ve conceded in the first 10 minutes.

“We’ve got to give ourselves a better platform than that.

“We’ve found it difficult, but Crystal Palace is an ideal opportunit­y to try to bounce back and put in a performanc­e like we did against Everton.”

 ??  ?? Chelsea were the second team in as many games to take the lead inside the first 10 minutes against United
Chelsea were the second team in as many games to take the lead inside the first 10 minutes against United

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