Steve McClaren’s Newcastle booed after defeat by Sheffield Wednesday

Bad days at St James’ Park are nothing new but even by the dismal standards of recent times Newcastle United somehow found fresh depths of inadequacy here against what were effectively Sheffield Wednesday’s reserves.

As the final whistle loomed a familiar refrain tumbled down the Gallowgate End: “We’re shit and we’re sick of it.”

Steve McClaren, who has previous when it comes to supporter disenchantment, urged his despondent players into the centre circle on the final whistle but the gesture was met with a level of animosity McClaren has not seen in his three and a half months on Tyneside.

Everything is backfiring and Newcastle face Chelsea next. McClaren has won once in eight games and that was against Northampton Town in the Capital One Cup’s last round. In 2015 Newcastle have won only four times and, while that awful statistic pre-dates McClaren, the focus is increasingly on the former England manager.

The stage has been reached where the first question post-match was about McClaren’s level of embarrassment. “I’ve been in football too long to be embarrassed,” he replied. “I’m angry, disappointed. The longer the game went on there was a nervousness around the stadium, on the pitch.

“We’ve said to the players that on Saturday you can come out and either be a fighter or a victim. It’s one or the other. We can only have fighters out there now.” But fighting is not an obvious Newcastle quality.

The club used to have the excuse that they did not take cups seriously but it was the visitors – 14th in the Championship – who rested players. While Newcastle were recognisable; Wednesday’s apparent priority was Brentford on Saturday.

Hence why Lewis McGugan, who had been a unused sub against Fulham last Saturday, started here. He was one of 10 changes and was on the spot 14 minutes from time to smack in a half-cleared shot from 20 yards that Tim Krul could get only a touch on. McGugan and McClaren overlapped at Nottingham Forest.

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