SM
Netherlands vs. Hungary: 7 hrs 56 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
WB
Premier League | Gameweek 27
Mar 7, 2021 at 12pm UK
The Hawthorns
NL

West Brom
0 - 0
Newcastle

 
FT

Steve Bruce: 'We must be ready for survival fight'

:Headline: Steve Bruce: 'We must be ready for survival fight': ID:438241: from db_amp
Steve Bruce's side moved up to 16th after a dour 0-0 draw at West Brom.

Boss Steve Bruce believes Newcastle must be ready for their survival fight to go to the wire after drawing at West Brom.

The Magpies battled to a dull 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns to move up to 16th in the Premier League.

A point did little to seriously aid either club's survival fight but the Magpies will at least be happier to ensure Albion failed to gain ground.

It ended goalless at The Hawthorns (Michael Steele/PA)

The second bottom Baggies are eight points from safety with 10 games left, with the Magpies nine points better off than Sam Allardyce's side.

Newcastle climbed a point above Brighton to put another turbulent week behind them after Matt Ritchie's clash with Bruce and the loss of Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin to injury, but the Magpies boss conceded it may take until the final day to survive.

Bruce said: "We have to be ready for it, we hope not and hope we can pick up enough points. But we have shown signs we are doing OK after a dismal run of games.

Joelinton could not find a way through the West Brom defence (Michael Steele/PA)

"To be without them (the injured players) and get a point really pleased me, the attitude and spirit is what got them the point.

"We are disappointed we didn't win but the one thing which was vitally important was we didn't get beaten, with the problems we have had over the past five or six days and more importantly the injuries.

"The reason why we got a point was the togetherness and attitude. We lacked a bit of quality but without the big players the team had to roll up their sleeves and take a point if that's what it was going to be."

Darnell Furlong's last-ditch block from Joelinton's cross stopped Ryan Fraser having a far-post tap in while Mbaye Diagne shot over and forced Martin Dubravka into a smart stop in the first half.

Matt Phillips skied over soon after the break but the Baggies could not find a winner and needed Sam Johnstone to turn Joe Willock's drive wide on the hour.

Any winner would have been unfair though as neither side deserved the victory in a low quality game which underlined why both have struggled all season.

Albion boss Allardyce said: "I sound like a record which is stuck, looking back to the chances we missed in the last four or five games. I can't knock the lads too much because of the effort after playing against the odds on Thursday.

Both teams battled to a point (Gareth Copley/PA)

"The big disappointment is we didn't finish Newcastle off, we're giving ourselves a great platform to finish teams off but we fail to do so.

"It means we have to win the next game to stay alive. It'll mean at one stage we will have to win every single game that's left.

"The performances have become a part of our DNA, we are tactically aware, the performances are at a high level, our fitness has improved. The only thing which has been missing is the quality of finishing."

amp_article__438241 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2021-03-07 16:17:32:
html db last update - 2021-03-07 16:17:32 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!

Click here for more stories about Steve Bruce

Click here for more stories about Newcastle United

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .