The gloves were off, as Steve Bruce promised, but the Newcastle boss got his fingers burnt.
'I'm going to do it my way now,' he declared after fierce criticism in the wake of last week's 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
After 18 months in the job, it felt like a plea for clemency from the death-row inmate, and begged the question: who has been picking the team and formation?
There was no response to last week's Sheffield United defeat from Newcastle on Monday
With it came a tactic Bruce has employed before, accusing his players of 'throwing in a hand grenade'.