Dan Burn has addressed Newcastle United's expectations for this season and called for a squad 'reset' after the international break. The Magpies were frustated for the second successive home match as Bournemouth held the hosts to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Eddie Howe's side enjoyed the lionshare of possession but struggled to fashion openings, and fell behind just after the hour-mark as Philip Billing opened the scoring. Alexander Isak quickly levelled from the penalty spot, but the Magpies were unable to find a winning goal as their winless top-flight run was extended to six matches.
Newcastle have lost just once so far this season, and sit 10th in the table for the two-week international break. However, Howe's side have not registered a top-flight victory since their opening-day success over Nottingham Forest.
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Burn was recently asked about the Magpies' aims for the season on BBC's The Monday Night Club, admitting it was 'tough question' to answer given the raised expectations in the wake of the takeover. The January signing has now reiterated his hope for a top-half finish, with talk of a European spot 'pushing it a bit'.
When asked if the latest draw had dampened optimism, Burn told the Mirror: “A little bit. As a fan base we are like that anyway. We always get ahead of ourselves.
“It has been like that since I was a kid. We have to be realistic the way we look at the takeover and how we are building our squad. Realistic, but we should still have targets in our head. Europe is pushing it a bit but we should be pushing top ten comfortably. Hopefully we can reset after the international break.
“Everything felt a bit flat (in the stadium) and felt a bit weird, maybe with the Queen passing. Without the flags too. Obviously we have to pay our respects and it was one of those days.”
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