SO this is Newcastle United taking the cup competitions seriously then.

After a series of seasons in which they were unwilling to target progress in the Capital One Cup, the Magpies had the decision made for them last night as they were embarrassed by a mid-table Championship side who rested ten of their players because they were targeting Saturday’s league game with Brentford.

In terms of recent low points, this was comparable with anything Newcastle have experienced in recent years, and while the visiting supporters’ chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ might have been slightly premature, there is no doubt that Steve McClaren now finds himself under intense pressure. At least it’s only Chelsea and Manchester City up next in the Premier League.

The Northern Echo:

A Newcastle team packed with senior players produced a desperately poor display that featured a solitary shot on target with eight minutes remaining. At the other end, Lewis McGugan’s 76th-minute strike settled things, and ensured Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley do not have to worry about a cup run deflecting attention away from a relegation battle. As things stand, Newcastle do not look capable of winning one of those either.

Less than two months of the season have gone, but the alarm bells are already ringing. Siem de Jong’s appearance last night as a lone centre-forward highlighted the folly of Newcastle’s summer transfer policy, and for all that Aleksandar Mitrovic has obvious disciplinary issues, McClaren will be desperately hoping the Serbian hits his stride when he returns from suspension at the weekend.

De Jong looked like a fish out of water for much of last night’s game, unsure whether to drop deep in an attempt to link play, a move that effectively left Newcastle without anyone up front, or attempt to play on the shoulder of the last centre-forward, something that hardly plays to his strengths.

The Dutchman’s discomfort, which ended when Ayoze Perez was introduced at half-time and he moved back into a midfield position, contributed to a dreadful performance from the hosts, although he was far from the worst offender in terms of underperforming.

That dubious honour went to Florian Thauvin, with the winger infuriating McClaren on the sidelines as he repeatedly conceded possession and trotted back into position rather than busting a gut to close down the opposition.

This was Thauvin’s sixth appearance in a Newcastle shirt, and the initial excitement at his arrival from Marseille has been replaced by a nagging fear that he could already be turning out to be a successor to Hatem Ben Arfa and Remy Cabella, a pair of similarly mercurial Frenchmen who failed to live up to their billing in a black-and-white shirt. That he was unceremoniously hauled off at half-time was hardly a surprise.

Georginio Wijnaldum arrived with an equally lofty reputation, but after an impressive pre-season, last season’s Dutch Player of the Year has been equally disappointing. He was wandering around like a little boy lost last night, neither defending alongside Vurnon Anita nor pushing forward to support the attack. At the moment, he is a player supposedly worth £14.5m without a position to play in.

Newcastle’s only moment of quality came in the 11th minute, with Gabriel Obertan releasing Moussa Sissoko into the left-hand side of the penalty area for a side-footed shot that clipped the outside of the right-hand post.

Beyond that, the hosts failed to trouble Wednesday goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith, with their efforts perhaps best summed up by the 30-yard effort from Chancel Mbemba that was so wide of the target it eventually went out for a throw in. It said much that it was still worth noting down as a ‘chance’.

Sheffield Wednesday should have been there for the taking given their changes, but after a shaky opening period, the visitors quickly settled into the game. Indeed, for large periods, their counter-attacking capabilities meant they carried the greater threat, and while Tim Krul’s first-half saves from Marco Matias and Jeremy Helan were routine ones, the fact he was the busier goalkeeper was a damning indictment of Newcastle’s ineffectiveness.

Perez’s arrival at the interval at least provided Newcastle with some energy in the final third, but the Spaniard, who found the side netting with a rare effort for the home side, struggled to get the better of Wednesday’s resolute central defensive pairing.

McClaren also brought on Kevin Mbabu, a Swiss Under-19 international right-back, for a debut, and the 20-year-old was somewhat fortunate to remain on the field when he clattered through Matias on the hour mark.

Wednesday’s first alteration saw the arrival of Sergio Bus. Newcastle, it was safe to say, had plenty of passengers.

The visitors, who became increasingly threatening as the second-half wore on, deserved to be ahead, and finally claimed the lead with 11 minutes remaining.

Newcastle’s defenders failed to deal with a routine long ball into the area, and when McGugan picked up possession on the edge of the box, he had time to drill a low shot into the left-hand corner. Krul got a hand to the strike, but was unable to keep it out.

Wednesday should have added a second moments later, but Lucas Joao headed a right-wing cross against the crossbar, and Bus somehow slammed the rebound against the same piece of woodwork when it looked much easier to score.

HOW NEWCASTLE UNITED FANS REACTED TO THE LOSS ON TWITTER:

Micky Welch ‏@m1cvv  

"When a Championship team makes 10 changes but still wins away at a Premier League team. Only at #NUFC."

Cameron Stuart ‏@cstuart93  

"Well that's by far the worst performance I've seen!! Something has to change soon otherwise I've had enough!! #NUFC"

lee clements ‏@leeclements24  

"What a waste of money that was to watch that absolute rubbish, the players didn't even seem bothered about it #NUFC"

Stephen Foster ‏@SteFos94  

"#NUFC squad has no personality/identity. It's just a mish-mash of foreigners bought for sell-on value - no thought about balance/cohesion."