DEJECTED boss Steve McClaren admitted he could not defend his Newcastle players after they succumbed to defeat at home to Cherries.

An own goal and efforts from Joshua King and Charlie Daniels gave the visitors a 3-1 victory – their first win over the Magpies since 1989.

Ayoze Perez’s goal proved only a consolation for the hosts.

Addressing the media, McClaren said: “You would be fully entitled to write what you want and criticise what you want because you would be absolutely right.

“This team can produce performances on its day but when it’s not your day, you have to fight a little bit harder, work a little harder, concentrate, want the ball a little bit more and show a bit more courage.

“When you don’t do that, you lose games.”

Cherries are now 11 points clear of the drop zone while Newcastle are 19th in the table.

Asked if he felt Newcastle could get out of trouble, McClaren said: “Not if we keep playing like that. That’s being brutally honest. That wasn’t good enough.

“Once the first goal in via a lucky deflection, we didn’t respond very well and I think there was too much of an eagerness and a loss of discipline and that opened it up, and we got punished.

“Today was poor in terms of how we defended. The thing that most frustrated me most was our football – we gave the ball away too cheaply and easily.

“There weren’t enough characters out there. The likes of Robbie Elliot, Daryl Janmaat, Jack Colback and Jonjo Shelvey – that’s what we need and players have to follow that.”