AT some stage soon, Newcastle United are going to run out of excuses.

Last weekend it was referee Robert Madley’s controversial decision to dismiss Fabricio Coloccini that robbed the Magpies of the chance to claim a Wear-Tyne derby win over Sunderland; six days on, and it was the performance of England goalkeeper Jack Butland that denied them an extra two points against Stoke City.

On both occasions, Newcastle could justifiably feel aggrieved. Yet in the cold light of day, two improved performances have brought a paltry reward of one point, Steve McClaren’s side were unable to score in either game despite creating a combined total of 31 chances, and as a result, they remain rooted in the relegation zone with almost a third of the season already gone.

McClaren is right to talk of gradual improvement, but it will count for little if it continues to go unrewarded, and while the head coach can bemoan extenuating factors and curse his side’s luck, it is time to start looking a little closer to home as he attempts to engineer a climb up the table.

For all that Butland produced a string of impressive second-half saves – most notably to deny Moussa Sissoko on two separate occasions and thwart Jamaal Lascelles as the substitute threatened to score with a late header – he was not tested severely enough given the extent to which Newcastle dominated possession as they constructed a string of neat passing moves.

Sissoko should certainly have done much better after a slick one-two with Georginio Wijnaldum afforded him a free run into the penalty area, and for all that he was unfortunate to hit the woodwork with a deft first-half header, Aleksandar Mitrovic continues to look like more of a link player than an out-and-out goalscorer.

“The thing that makes me slightly nervous is that we are not scoring goals, and to win games you have to score,” admitted Wijnaldum, who is the only Newcastle player to have scored more than two goals this season. “That’s what I’m not happy about.

“We kept a clean sheet, and that’s a positive. Defensively, we were good, but to win games you have to score and that’s what we haven’t been doing in the last few games. That’s what doesn’t make me happy.

“I’m pleased that we’re still creating chances, and if we weren’t doing that, it would be more worrying. That’s a good thing, and maybe we just need a bit of luck to get us going.

“I still have faith it will come, but you want it right now because it’s important we start winning games. We’re standing pretty low in the rankings, and that needs to change. Sometimes it can take time though, and there are positive things in the team as well, so we have to remain relaxed and trust that it will happen.”

Given that Newcastle have now failed to score in six of their 11 league outings this season, however, it is surely pertinent to ask whether there needs to be some major restructuring if they are to prove that last month’s six-goal demolition of Norwich City was not some anomalous fluke.

Mitrovic, Wijnaldum and Ayoze Perez have all proved they can score this term, but Sissoko’s goalscoring tally has been dreadful throughout his Newcastle career, and whoever plays out of Cheick Tiote, Vurnon Anita or the injured Jack Colback, it is hard to imagine too many goals coming from the deep-lying midfield area.

Daryl Janmaat is the only defender to have scored a league goal this term, so given Newcastle’s long-standing ineffectiveness from set-pieces, it is easy to see why opposition teams might feel they only have to shut down two or three players to render the Magpies impotent.

McClaren clearly feels he needs two defensive-midfield players in order to protect his back four, but with goals at a premium, might he have to sacrifice one of those shields in order to create space for a more positive central-midfield presence such as Siem de Jong?

“The three of us (Mitrovic, Wijnaldum and Perez) are starting to get to know each other, and are feeling more comfortable together,” said Wijnaldum. “But it can’t only come from the three of us.

“If we’re not scoring, it can’t be a situation where we can’t win games as a team. It’s important that other people are scoring as well. If a team is too reliant on a small number of players to score, it makes it difficult. It’s not good if the team can only score between two or three players.”

It was hard to see anyone else getting on the scoresheet at the weekend, although Butland’s excellent display was a key factor in that. The 22-year-old played under McClaren while on loan at Derby County, and with his weekend performance standing in marked contrast to the struggles of Joe Hart and John Ruddy, he could well find himself starting one of England’s two friendlies this month.

“My ambition is to be England’s number one keeper, 100 per cent,” said Butland. “I have a really good relationship with Joe, and get on well with him, but I want to play for England, even if it is at his expense.”

Rob Elliot had a much quieter afternoon at the other end, although when he was eventually called into action to keep out Jonathan Walters’ back-post header, he obliged with a fine sprawling save.