Given slams unacceptable defending

Shay Given admitted the errors which cost Newcastle three points against Fulham would have embarrassed a Sunday League side.

The 30-year-old Irishman was left exposed as defensive mistakes handed Brian McBride a chance he took to cancel out Scott Parker’s opener on Saturday.

And then Fulham frontman McBride set up Carlos Bocanegra’s winner as Newcastle’s defence faltered.

The Magpies had been set for a relatively comfortable win, despite failing to build on skipper Parker’s 54th-minute opener.

Instead, they were left to reflect on a woeful surrender which has thrown their defensive frailties into the spotlight once again.

Given said: “If you looked at the Sunday League football around Newcastle, you would not even see the kind of goals we gave away against Fulham.

“I do not want to dig things out or blame any individuals, but we have given one of the best players in the Premiership in terms of heading the ball total freedom of the six-yard box. It is amazing – but we have to talk about it privately and get it sorted out within the camp.

“It just is not acceptable and as a team, we need to improve. They (Fulham) did not even carve us open, we handed them the goals on a plate - that is the most disappointing thing for us.”

Although makeshift full-back Peter Ramage’s slip did not help things, Titus Bramble’s failure to pick up McBride for both goals proved fatal.

But with six games coming up inside the next 21 days – the first of them their UEFA Cup trip to Levadia Tallinn on Thursday – Newcastle have to sort out their problems as quickly as possible.

Given told the club’s official website, www.nufc.co.uk: “At the end of the day, we win as a team and lose as a team. It is just frustrating that we have lost in the way we did.

“We have got time to work on these errors, but we also have some difficult games coming up as well.

“Now we need men around the dressing-room because we have to go on the pitch and stand up and be counted.

“We have got West Ham away and then away to Liverpool, and they are tough games. But we have got Tallinn away on Thursday, so we need to bounce back as quickly as possible.”

Manager Glenn Roeder was back at former club West Ham yesterday to run the rule over his side’s next Barclays Premiership opponents, and he returned north hoping for good news.

Parker was forced to leave the pitch with a knee problem after 81 minutes of Saturday’s game, and was a distraught onlooker as Newcastle conceded the two late goals.

Roeder will be desperate to have Parker fit for Thursday evening’s game.

He said: “Scott will be okay in a few days and he has got a chance of playing on Thursday night in Tallinn.

“If not, he will be okay for West Ham next Sunday because he will be desperate to play in that one. Scott had an awful bang on his leg and he had to come off – but it would be a weak excuse from me if I was to say that was the reason we lost.

“One individual lost his concentration and one player lost his balance.”