Hull City boss Steve Bruce has dismissed suggestions that Newcastle United are in crisis ahead of their visit to St James' Park this afternoon.
Many of the Magpies' fans were left fuming by the club's inactivity during the summer transfer window, in which the only player the brought in was Loic Remy on loan from Queens Park Rangers.
A protest has been scheduled by a supporters' group ahead of next month's match against Liverpool, but Bruce believes that talk of a crisis is premature.
"When you see them last week winning at [Aston] Villa and look at the team they can field when Remy is fit, when [Papiss] Cisse is back, when [Hatem] Ben Arfa is fit and [Yohan] Cabaye is still there - they are a very good side, no question about it," Bruce told Sky Sports News.
"Like the rest of us, when they are missing two, three or four big players of course it can be a problem.
"One game is a crisis in this day and age and after the first game of the season Arsenal and Newcastle were in crisis. Since then they've gone on to pick up seven points and had back to back wins. It's going to be difficult for us."
The Tigers currently sit 16th in the Premier League with one win, a draw and two defeats from their four games so far.
Michael Penkman
