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Defender Fabian Schar has delivered a brutal assessment of Newcastle's "s***" performance against Brighton.
The Magpies turned in a woeful first-half display in particular and were fortunate to emerge with a 0-0 draw against Graham Potter's men after Switzerland international Schar somehow managed to clear substitute Aaron Connolly's effort off the line.
Schar said: "We played a s*** game – what can I say? We were lucky to get a point.
"But we played a bad game, that's it. We move on to the next game, but we have to improve on this."
The Magpies have taken just five points from the first six games of the new Premier League campaign and sit a point clear of the relegation zone with a tough trip to Leicester to come next Sunday.
Head coach Steve Bruce, who replaced manager Rafael Benitez during the summer, is without a win in his first three home league games – matching the record of one of his ill-fated predecessors, Steve McClaren.
Schar said: "It's a positive that the fans stayed with us, but we need to do more for them in the home games. We need to play much better."
Bruce's next opportunity to address the situation on Tyneside comes when Manchester United head for St James' Park on October 6 with their own problems to solve.
