Super Isaac makes case for defence
STEVE Bruce saw his defensive options torn to shreds for the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion - but dug into his experience to find a solution.
The Magpies were without Federico Fernandez, skipper Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar but turned to midfielder Isaac Hayden - who later admitted he had climbed off his sick bed to train this week - and the 25-year-old put in a fantastic display.
Bruce, who signed Hayden during his Hull City days, revealed afterwards the former England Under-21 international was eager to play his part.
He said: “My old chief scout Stan Ternent used to say central defence was Isaac’s best position.
“When he was a kid at Arsenal he played there.
“He was not new to it but he played fantastically well.”
He added: “Isaac was in bed for 10 days and inevitably the three I was checking on were the three who had the virus.”
Hayden spoke about his own experience, saying: “I had it bad for 10 days.
“To have two or three days training then play in a Premier League game was not easy but the lads came through and stuck to the task.”
■THE man Newcastle United were once told to snap up as manager has been fired by Borussia Dortmund.
Former Switzerland international Lucien Favre is a close friend of one-time influential chief scout Graham Carr, the talent spotter recommending the former Hertha Berlin coach in 2015.
Favre was dismissed after a 5-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday.