The circus that is Newcastle United rolled to Leicester over the weekend and once again put on a show to leave fans up and down the nation laughing. The Magpies’ slumped to an eighth successive loss against the Foxes, leaving them worrying close to the relegation zone with just three games to go.

In truth it would take a minor miracle for the sides directly below the black and white-clad outfit to be sucked into the second tier, and it’s likely that they will indeed remain a Premier League sides, which may add further to the anger at St. James’ Park.

Manager John Carver directed blame at Mike Williamson for his red card at Leicester on Saturday, accusing him of getting sent off on purpose to avoid a relegation scrap. Such a bold statement is bizarre in the modern game, but we think it’s not the players who should be on the rack, and instead there are more fundamental problems at Newcastle… and here are FIVE of them.

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John Carver simply isn’t up to the job

The number of fans underwhelmed by Carver’s appointment told the story. Alan Pardew – love him or hate him – was at least experienced, but his former assistant had little in the way of a proven track record, and was of course around during the failings that had annoyed Magpies supporters. And sure enough, Carver’s tenure has bordered on being disastrous so far, with the North East side now stuck in an eight-game losing run, which shows no sign of ending. Relegation is a genuine threat, but can Newcastle’s players really look over the dugout and take on board what their boss is saying? Arguably they should, but his lack of experience and record at the top level is sure to leave at least a few disillusioned.

Mike Ashley is ruining the club

The Sports Direct branding everywhere and the chase of profits, Newcastle are no longer an outfit geared towards success on the field. Ashley is the major force behind this shift at St James’ Park, with the club now feeling a little soulless as the pursuit of glory is swapped for keeping the owner cash rich. Okay, Newcastle were hardly picking up silverware regularly before Ashley and have enjoyed their best season in recent memory – 2011-12 – under his regime, but with any sense of optimism on the field swiftly kicked into touch now, it’s hard to get on board.

Best players are routinely sold from around them

Tying in with the Ashley profit stance, Newcastle’s best players are routinely being sold off. Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye are, perhaps, the best examples in recent times, with the midfielder and striker two of the better talents to have passed through Tyneside in recent times. It would be no surprise to see the likes of Moussa Sissoko or Ayoze Perez shifted out should decent offers come in, while youngsters such as Rolando Aarons may be sold should their promise translate to impressive showings.

European qualification frowned upon

Where can Newcastle go? Title challenges are too far away, the top four is near impossible to break into and the Europa League is a burden… Well that’s how it appears. Newcastle’s shameful FA Cup showing last term hinted at a worrying eagerness to avoid playing in Europe’s second club competition, after the 2012/13 season saw the Magpies’ performances dip domestically. There’s no proof to such speculation, but if the Europa League is being talked down at the club, why would the players be inclined to try over the latter months of a campaign?

Stepping stone club

This one does perhaps hint at a little blame being out at the players’ feet, but if Newcastle are being billed as a ‘stepping stone’ club, which they appear to be nowadays, can stars really be expected to give it all for the shirt? After all, they’re only using the North East as a shop window to earn a bigger move.