Steve McClaren has admitted that his Newcastle United side are teetering on the brink of an all-out crisis following last night's third-round League Cup setback with Sheffield Wednesday.
The Magpies' testing start to the 2015-16 season got worse when Lewis McGugan's 76th-minute winner gave the second-string Owls a shock 1-0 win at St James' Park.
United are 19th in the Premier League table and still awaiting their first win, and McClaren concedes that his troops deserve criticism.
"Is the job harder than I thought? Absolutely. Without a doubt," the former England boss, who replaced John Carver in the summer, is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"People say it's a crisis and it's getting very close to it. We deserve to be criticised."
McClaren and co host league champions Chelsea at St James' Park on Saturday.
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