"I only want what is best for the club, and over the last few months, I've not been good enough to get the results the club demands."

The words of Steve Bruce on Friday, a day before his seventeenth-placed side were comprehensively routed by the one occupying sixteenth spot.

One place; but a yawning chasm of difference in care, thought, preparation, planning, intent and adventure between these two teams - and by extension, clubs.

And in the opposite corner, the inert, inept, brow-beaten and fearful representatives of a facsimile of a Premier League football club heading only in one direction. Down.

Two wins in eighteen PL games: beaten 0-3 by Brighton last September without a single shot on target. Beaten 0-3 by Brighton this March without a single shot on target. Turning a corner? Showing desire??

The wisdom and experience of Bruce's 23 years in management produced this absolute joke of a non-performance; entirely reliant on the proficiency of the opposition and without any vague notion of positivity.

Post-match he confessed to having been caught out by the tactics of his opposite number, just as he was six months ago; so having abandoned any pro-active thoughts going into a game he labelled as "must-win", he failed to come up with any reactive game plan. Again.

The only unrealistic expectation that fans of this club can be accused of is thinking that their Manager would be competent - and when he showed his true colours, that those in charge would be able to act promptly and decisively. There's always a first time.

If the alleged Newcastle fan at the helm had a shred of self-respect he'd go now, but financial and contractual realities mean that he'll have to be paid off.

For Christ's sake, do it, jettison him and his cronies, regardless of the fact there's no plan B and the recently-appointed coach is hardly covering himself in glory. This is already a rudderless ship, there's nobody at the wheel.

The returning Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin may be heralded as our saviours, but at our current rate of decline the rest of the side cannot be relied upon to play their part if this clown is still picking it. 

Make no mistake, we deserve to be relegated for the utter stupidity in appointing Bruce and allowing his complacency to pollute this club from the top down.

Nobody does give a f**k anymore - certainly not the players, who seem meekly resigned to their fate if tonight's feeble showing was any indication.

Saturday night's alright for fighting - unless you're clad in a black and white shirt. Aside from one ill-timed Paul Dummett lunge that was borne of frustration, we gave an exhibition of football as a non-contact sport.

While it's tempting to blame Bruce for everything though, the lack of desire and energy on display from the visitors is a matter of individual responsibility, regardless of whatever bird-brained formation they're in.

To the game, and after missing the draws with West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa there was an earlier-than-anticipated return to the starting line-up for Miggy Almiron. However he looked less than 100%.

United lost Isaac Hayden almost on half time at 0-0 after a freakish and unintentional collision with Albion's Yves Bissouma. Jeff Hendrick replaced him after he left on a stretcher, but within a minute of the restart Leandro Trossard fired Brighton ahead from outside the box.

What was to be Newcastle's sole attack of note in the entire game saw Joelinton and Almiron combine for Ryan Fraser to curl a first-time effort off the Albion goal frame on 50 minutes.

Within a minute though, Danny Welbeck had repeated Trossard's strike to put the hosts 2-0 up - taking advantage of lax defending to run at the opposition goal and successfully hit the target. We used to do that.

Neil Maupay then volleyed home a Pascal Gross centre to make it 3-0 in the 68th minute and only a goal line clearance from Jamaal Lascelles prevented Maupay from adding a fourth with 10 minutes left.

The quote that we started this piece with may be too long for an epitaph, but here's a far more succinct one: Here lies Steve Bruce.

That's not a death threat - just a reflection of the fact that every sentence he spouts is untrue and nobody believes a word of it. The road to ruin is clearly signposted Mike: every day that Bruce stays, this club dies a little bit more.