Since stringing together a nine-game winning run at the turn of the year, the Magpies have lost five of their last nine matches, with their most recent defeat at the hands of Brighton seeing them crash out of the FA Cup.
Newcastle have also suffered home defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham in that sequence, with Burn conceding that performance levels have varied dramatically from one game to the next.
Eddie Howe’s side remain sixth in the table ahead of next Monday’s trip to West Ham though, a position that would be good enough to guarantee European qualification if it was maintained to the end of the season, and are now less than a fortnight away from a Carabao Cup final appearance against Liverpool. The season hangs in the balance, but it could yet turn out to be one of the greatest in Newcastle’s history.
“I think we’re still inconsistent at the moment,” admitted Burn. “We’re still yet to put together a real, full performance at the levels we’re capable of. That’s obviously bad, but you can look at it as more of a positive that we’re still in a good position in the league, even though I don’t really think we’ve hit the levels that we know that we can.
“We’re still in a good position going into the business end of the season. As inconsistent as we’ve been this season, we’re still in a good position for what we want to achieve.
“We’re in the European places, and although the league is so tight, we just need to put another run together like the one we had over Christmas to cement that position in the league. Then we’ve obviously got the final just around the corner too, which is a massive opportunity. As inconsistent as we have been, we know that if we can just get that together and click, we can be a really good team.”
Nevertheless, Burn accepts that going out of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon was a massive blow. With Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea already out, and Manchester United also exiting the competition a few hours after Newcastle’s extra-time defeat, the competition looks wide open.
Brighton are now third favourites to lift the trophy, behind Manchester City and Aston Villa, with Newcastle having passed up a huge opportunity to secure a place in another Wembley final as they lost in extra-time despite having taken a first-half lead through an Alexander Isak penalty.
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“I think the fact we’re seeing it as a big missed opportunity just shows where the club is at, at the moment,” said Burn. “The gaffer has brought that in. I can’t comment too much on what went on before the gaffer came in, with the different ownership, but I definitely feel as though there’s a real emphasis on the cups now and a real belief that we can get to the latter stages of whatever competition we’re in.
“We want to get to the finals, and when you get to within a game of the quarter-finals and then go out in extra-time, it definitely feels like you’ve missed a chance to potentially do something special.
“We’d got ourselves in a good position, but the goals we conceded were poor, which I think was similar to the Liverpool game. I don’t think either team had to work particularly hard to get the goals they scored, so from a personal view, that’s disappointing.”
Newcastle’s cause was hardly helped by Anthony Gordon’s straight red card for pushing Wolves defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the face towards the end of normal time.
Gordon’s dismissal means he will miss the Carabao Cup final unless Newcastle launch a successful appeal to have it overturned, with Burn and the rest of the Magpies’ leadership group ready to rally around the winger.
“I haven’t spoken to Anthony yet. I haven’t even watched it back, to be honest,” said the centre-half. “But when I first saw it, I was surprised the red card came out. He’s going to be disappointed, isn’t he. I really don’t think there was any sort of intent there, he’s not that type of player. It’s just a real shame for him.”
