STEVE BRUCE has admitted he “picked the wrong team” for Newcastle United’s midweek game at Sheffield United.

Bruce’s side became the first team to suffer a Premier League defeat at the hands of the Blades when they lost 1-0 at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.

The Newcastle manager has been heavily criticised for his starting selection, which featured five defenders, two defensive-midfield players in the shape of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff and another fairly defensive midfield selection in Jeff Hendrick.

Bruce has spent the last couple of days reviewing events in South Yorkshire, and now accepts he got things wrong.

He said: “Point taken. In hindsight, I picked the wrong team. I have to come in front of you (the media) and accept that, and accept that the performance was nowhere near good enough.

“I went along thinking that in the previous three or four games, we had done okay. We hadn’t got the result, or a win, but we’d done okay in some tough games against some big opposition.

“I went exactly the same way, and in hindsight, which is a wonderful thing, then yes, I picked the wrong team and I have to be responsible for that. That’s what I’ll do.”