Steve Bruce's Newcastle United crashed to a 3-1 defeat by Norwich City at Carrow Road yesterday thanks to a Teemu Pukki hat-trick with Jonjo Shelvey scoring a consolation.

It was the manner of the defeat - sloppy defending, disorganization all over the pitch and the fact the black and whites were 'A yard off the pace' as the commentator kept repeating - that has alarm bells ringing both inside and outside St. James' Park.

Yet Bruce - who has been in the job for exactly a month - needs some time to get his feet under the table, implement his methods & find his best team and formation.

On July 17th, he was appointed Newcastle boss - "“This is my boyhood club and it was my dad’s club, so this is a very special moment for me and my family.” - and he's described events since starting his dream job as "surreal" and "a whirlwind" as he was whisked to China and Scotland for friendlies, moved back to the North-East, oversaw the £40M record signing of Joelinton & entertained Mike Ashley at the training ground.

Last week against Arsenal was his first competitive match at St. James' Park & although the team were beaten 1-0 he even managed to fit in a cheeky back-heel in front of the dug-out living up to his own promise to return some Entertainment to Tyneside:

The Norwich game, like the Arsenal match, was a case of What If? for The Magpies after missed chances by new boy Emil Krafth, who blazed a volley over from a great position, and Joelinton who headed a golden chance wide of Tim Krul's goal after two near misses last week, a header glanced wide and one saved by the Gunners' keeper .

IF Newcastle had scored first in both games, Newcastle might be looking at six points and those are the fine lines between success and failure at the highest level but the manner in which the side loses its shape and structure as games go on is worrying.

Naturally, fans are comparing Steve Bruce's second game in charge of Newcastle with Rafa Benitez's best games but in 2016 when he took over, Benitez was unable to prevent relegation after failing to turn the club around in the 10 games he took charge of.

One of those - Benitez's third game - was a 3-2 defeat away to Norwich City and his fourth game was a 3-1 reverse at Southampton, during which Jamaal Lascelles emerged as a key vocal presence in the dressing room and became a key figure and eventually Captain of the Club so impressed was Benitez with his leadership qualities. Compare Rafa's early games with Newcastle to Bruce's fledgling efforts for a truer picture, not the team Benitez had organised after 100+ games with a squad remodelled in his image.

Following yesterday's game, Steve Bruce cancelled the players' day off scheduled for Sunday after an inquest on the club's flight home as to what went wrong - the actions of a manager clearly determined to stop the rot as soon as possible.

Paul Dummett spoke after the game of the need to "come out fighting" and to improve "collectively" as a dressing room and a club echoing his manager's resolve.

Turning it around and getting results will be easier said than done as Newcastle travel to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday before facing Leicester City in The Carabao Cup then Watford in the Premier League both at St. James' Park yet there is enough quality and passion in the United dressing room to do exactly that.

Should The Magpies Change Formation From 3-5-2 Already?

Steve Bruce's formation for Newcastle this season is the 3-5-2 of which he was a pioneer in English football with Crystal Palace, with Joelinton and Almiron up front with three central midfielders and three central defenders with wing-backs providing width.

After an impressive first 45 minutes against Arsenal, the set-up looked disjointed in the second half and against Norwich was too loose to prevent Norwich's attacks while in both games, Joelinton's missed chances at 0-0 have come back to haunt Newcastle.

A change in formation might be necessary as Newcastle are struggling to score goals so far and Joelinton looked isolated up front with Almiron's seeming free role buzzing around the pitch as he likes not getting him close enough to the danger zone.

With new signing Allan Saint-Maximin yet to be incorporated into the team, a 3-4-3 formation like last season could work with ASM, Joelinton and Almiron replicating the success Newcastle had with The Three Amigos, Almiron, Salomon Rondon & Ayoze Perez yet if Bruce wants to put his own stamp on things, another solution beckons.

When asked about 'the Christmas tree formation' in a press conference at Sunderland years ago, a quipped response from Bruce was 'I'm not really into tactics' which of course he is as any modern manager must be and, ironically, the Xmas Tree formation as exemplified by Terry Venable's Euro '96 side could be Newcastle's best option:

The beauty of the Christmas Tree formation is found its simplicity:

Defensively, when a team is struggling its often best to go Back To Basics and get that first clean sheet and every defender in the world knows how to play in a flat back four. I would draft De Andre Yedlin back in at right back when he's fit for sheer pace and experience and put Paul Dummett back to his naturally solid left back role.

The midfield still contains Bruce's three preferred central midfielders giving the team structure and defensive solidity through Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff in the double pivot like they played under Benitez notably against Man City with Guardiola saying

" We could not deal with Newcastle's holding midfielders", high praise indeed.

Central to the entire Christmas Tree formation is the deep-lying playmaker and perfect for the role for Newcastle is Jonjo Shelvey, quarterback extraordinaire and the man whose vision, quality and range of passing makes the entire team tick.

Andre Pirlo had this all-important play-making role at Carlo Ancelotti's Milan side that played the Christmas tree and Shelvey can dictate the tempo of games like the Italian and launch Newcastle's attacks with his long-range passing.

Ahead of the midfield trio would be two of Miguel Almiron, Matt Ritchie and Allan Saint-Maximin, two attacking free-spirits with licence to dribble, roam and wreak havoc centrally and on the wings and like Beardsley and Platt in Venables' system, can provide the flair and creativity Newcastle are currently lacking as well as chipping in with goals.

Up front, Joelinton's pace and quickness on the turn can be exploited especially on the counter and with support from two players around him joining him in the final third, he will be less isolated and Newcastle will have a more potent attack.

Above all, Steve Bruce must be given time as the Newcastle job is one of the hardest in football, one made harder by the FIXture list every season which stacks the deck against The Magpies, who play 5 of last season's Top 6 in the first 9 games just like 2018/9 when Benitez failed to win in 10 matches, the worst start in the club's history.

Rafa's first win didn't arrive until November and while Bruce doesn't expect to be given as much time as his popular predecessor, saying in his pre-Norwich conference:

"I don't think I'm going to be entitled to that but 10/11 games was afforded and there wasn't a murmur from the crowd,"

its essential Newcastle fans back their new manager and embody the true meaning of "supporter" and give Steve Bruce a fair chance at producing a successful Magpies team.