Dummett: We are all fighting for the gaffer
PAUL Dummett insists Newcastle United’s players are behind Steve Bruce and the Magpies’ defender has vowed to ‘fight as much as we can’ to keep the club in the Premier League.
Newcastle sit just two points above the relegation zone following a run of two wins in their last 17 topflight fixtures.
The Magpies’ fate is still in their own hands ahead of Saturday night’s trip to Brighton but Bruce’s side could go into that crucial six-pointer in the bottom three if 18th-placed Fulham beat Leeds on Friday.
However, with Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron all absent, Bruce will at least have taken encouragement from how his side claimed a lastgasp point against Aston Villa last time out following Jamaal Lascelles’ dramatic 94th-minute equaliser.
Dummett referenced that spirit ahead of the 1-1 draw when he said: “We need everyone to be together and fighting in the right direction to make sure we get the points we need.” Dummett was then asked about the mood in the camp given recent results, the club’s league position and Matt Ritchie’s much-publicised bust-up with Bruce.
He added: “Players want to be playing games and when players are not playing games they are not happy and it can cause arguments.
“It is probably the fact we are near the bottom of the league so it creates a bigger story.
“It’ is difficult when there is a lot of negative press around the manager.
“We want to try and focus on playing football and, as a team, we are behind the manager.
“Whether or not he was the manager or we had a different manager, we need to make sure as a team we are fighting for whoever is in charge and as long as he is in charge of the club then the squad here will fight as much as we can to do the best we can.”