The Toon Review – Newcastle’s bubble burst, Howe’s comments and what next?

Hello. I’m Sam, a lifelong Newcastle supporter, and welcome to the first of (hopefully) many editions of what I’d like to call the Toon Review. Think of it as a weekly review/round-up piece of everything Newcastle United, from the fixture list to the rumour mill. For good measure, we’ll mix in some other fun stuff too, so stay tuned!

The Toon Review will usually be out the Monday (or in this case the Tuesday) after each match. Sound good? Let’s get started.

Out of Sorts against the Hammers

Unfortunately, Monday Night Football did not go our way, where missed chances, poor defending and an abject second half display saw West Ham do a job on us. For many, the game and defeat appeared eerily similar to their home fixture against Brighton which a) also took place after an international break and b) saw us miss early chances and struggled to recover after going a goal behind, with both games featuring toothless second half displays.

Before kick-off, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak serenaded by an impressive display courtesy of Wor Flags, yet the star Swede saw an early goal ruled out after marginally mistiming his run before dinking the ball over Lukasz Fabianski. This was to be the last time Fabianski would be picking the ball out of his own net on the night, as Isak, Gordon and Willock went on to squander first half chances.

Whilst West Ham’s two goals could have and maybe should have been avoided, there’s no denying they controlled what was such a flat second half from our perspective. We looked lost, indecisive and largely out of ideas going forward, indicative of the inconsistency they have showcased all season long. Defensively, United were at fault for both West Ham goals. Better marking from Lloyd Kelly could have prevented Tomas Soucek’s headed opener, whilst it appeared far too easy for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to waltz into the box to extend the Hammers’ lead in the second half.

The groans around St James’ Park only grew louder with the ineffectiveness of Howe’s substitutions; players who could normally be trusted to be game-changers off the bench were mere passengers at best. Barnes struggled to make an impact down the left, whilst Tonali didn’t offer much new in midfield. Wilson, upon his return from a lengthy spell on the injury table, couldn’t combine with Isak to provide a legitimate goal-threat and Murphy did next to nothing down the right.

A disappointing and flat start to the week as the Magpies missed out on a chance to move sixth and ended a run of three straight wins.

What Howe Said

In this section of the round-up, we like to take a closer look at what the Newcastle manager has been saying in the press. Immediately following Monday’s defeat, a visibly frustrated and slightly sullen Howe met journalists to answer questions on his team’s performance, injuries, and what he will be working on to improve the Magpies’ fortunes going forward.

Howe began the press conference by conceding that the game was “up there” as one of the most frustrating of his Newcastle tenure so far, explaining how his side “lost their way” after West Ham’s second goal found the back of the net. He also believes, though, that his side were in fact in the game for the first hour at least.

On the performance: “We didn’t handle the goals very well at all. Apart from that, I don’t think they gave us that many problems in that first sixty minutes. After that, we became a bit disjointed. We had players playing out of position due to a couple of injuries. It was a disappointing last half an hour.”

On the international break: “There’s always that concern because you lose contact time with the players. Usually, we’ve been very good in that respect. Similar type feeling [to the Brighton match]. I thought we played well in both. But again we’re not scoring enough for the chances we’re creating. It’s something that we have to fix.”

On Joe Willock’s injury: “Joe took a knock to the leg and didn’t feel 100%.”

On Dan Burn’s absence through suspension: “He’s a big miss. You see the first goal and I think Dan’s presence helps us in those situations for sure. His leadership qualities on the pitch can’t be underestimated.”

On missed opportunities in the final third: “We’ve had big moments today. We’ve had the opportunities. There’s nothing like goals to create confidence in the group.”

On Wilson’s penalty shout: “Yeah, possibly. It’s difficult for me to say. I’ve looked at it once. I haven’t seen it again. I felt it was a really good shout for a penalty.”

KEY QUOTE: “I really didn’t like us in the last half an hour.”

On this day: 26th November

On this day in 2000, Sir Bobby’s Newcastle defeated Liverpool 2-1 at St James’ Park. Midfielders Nolberto Solano and Kieron Dyer got the goals for United, while Emile Heskey added a consolation for the visiting Reds.

A look ahead to Saturday

Saturday will see Howe’s side travel to Croydon for a good old-fashioned 3pm kickoff, where they will meet second-bottom Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Magpies lost 2-0 the last time the two sides met in London, so will be looking to avenge that defeat whilst also trying to get back on track after Monday’s disappointment at home to West Ham. Palace are coming off a very credible 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, and will be looking to drag themselves away from a relegation dogfight.

Going into this one, only Southampton, Everton and Palace have scored less than our 13 goals in 12 league games so far, so it would be a surprise if Saturday’s encounter is a game of goals! Hopefully that theme continues for the hosts and we can improve defensively, with Burn set for an immediate recall after serving his one-game ban.

That brings us to the first trivia question! Try to answer it without looking it up; the answer will be revealed at the end of next week’s installment…

Darren Ambrose enjoyed a great spell at Palace, but who did Newcastle sign him from initially in 2002?

Thanks for reading – see you next week!