'Live in fear' Newcastle United transfer policy must be addressed to avoid frightening situation

Right, no ifs or Nicky Butts Newcastle must put Burnley to the buck in an old-fashioned three o'clock Saturday confrontation before the St James' Park loyalists.

No more late dramas giving up invaluable points to ruin the look of the Premier League table. Spurs were the last straw.

The Clarets, locked in the relegation dungeon, have shipped an alarming 21 goals in their seven away fixtures this season. Three per game must give encouragement to Eddie, Bruno and the fans. They have won only once on the tarmac losing all the rest and even then it was 3-2 at Wolves who are marooned rock bottom on two points.

And to make matters worse Burnley slumped to a fifth straight defeat at home to Crystal Palace in midweek.

So the opposition ain't of Champions League standard. Nor Premier League upper half. They are the sort of side anyone with pretensions ought to beat as a matter of routine not that United do predictable!

It would be nice to revert to keeping clean sheets as that is the best foundation for victory. The back four are much vaunted individually - Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are rightly treated like young royalty, Malick Thiaw has proved a bargain buy from AC Milan, and Dan Burn is currently in England's international squad bound for the World Cup finals. Backed by the elegant Fabian Schar.

Yet United gave away more gifts than Santa Claus against Tottenham. We had the game won twice and ended up with a paltry point.

Consequently having sacrificed a maximum return with the third very late capitulation in home games United sit amid the lower half of the table instead of pushing for a European place. It really is beyond disappointing and must not occur again when Burnley come calling.

The season has thrown up vast contradictions. Aston Villa, so often compared to us on development, have in truth done so much better outside of a significant trophy win.

After a horrendous start to this season and disarray over a depressing sterile transfer window they have spectacularly risen to third on the back of an eighth win in nine league games midweek while Crystal Palace have similarly defied the odds by selling their best players yet winning silver and gaining a shoal of league points. Have I also mentioned the startling rise of the Mackems, relegation fodder to rarefied air?

The other end of the scale and champions Liverpool have found defence hard while fellow self proclaimers Spurs cannot build on their European success.

United have been flying by the seat of their pants of late with no cover at either end of the field. There is no back-up to Aaron Ramsdale with Nick Pope injured, only a 39-year-old John Ruddy who does more coaching and tub-thumping these days than play matches and in the Champions League next week only a couple of academy kids with Ruddy not among the names the club originally submitted to UEFA. Frightening if you dare think about it.

My feeling is that having the Invisible Men, Ruddy and Mark Gillespie, as third and fourth choice keepers has come back to bite us on the derriere. Gillespie is in his fourth season contracted here but has never played a single PL match.

Then up top we've been living just as dangerously having to stick Nick Woltemade in cotton wool between matches. Do we need Yoane Wissa to come out of hibernation especially as Will Osula is also injured and looking with cow eyes towards a transfer abroad in January.

Whatever we do in the windows we seem to continue to live in fear. Think of Callum Wilson's lengthy unavailability last season putting pressure on Alexander Isak.

Burnley's visit brings two old boys back to SJP. Martin Dubravka has a special place in Geordie hearts having racked up 179 appearances for us spread over eight seasons until he eventually left us in the summer.

Their manager Scott Parker played a couple of seasons for United in the noughties after signing for £6.5m from Chelsea. Made skipper by Glenn Roeder, he turned out 73 times in midfield scoring six goals.

Parker is only 45 years of age, one of a handful of top flight managers younger than Howe, with Dubravka not that far behind his boss considering the difference in their job definitions. He'll be 37 next month.

Two away games follow next week with all the risk they involve so victory Saturday afternoon isn't a hope but compulsory because we are sick of urging it then having to accept why it is not so.

If NUFC are as good as they claim they are then let them go on to prove it. Not just with victory over Burnley which ought to be as automatic as any can but with what follows. Consistency is the judge of a top side.