The nightmare result for Newcastle United in our failing mission to get back into the European race, as Everton left St James’ Park with all three points on Saturday afternoon.
Whether it was Eddie Howe playing square pegs in round holes from the off, our toothless attacking, sloppy passing, lack of energy or the awful goals we conceded right after equalising (twice), it was a woeful display and damaging result.
Defeat sees us drop to 12th in the table, 12 behind 5th place Liverpool, seven behind 7th place Brentford after their 4-3 wjn at Burnley and even four behind Everton, who move up to 8th after today’s win.
That’s now five defeats in our last six league games and three Premier League losses in a row at St James’ Park: a first under Howe. Sadly, today’s latest setback sums up our struggle for consistency after we entered the match with four wins from five in all competitions.
Newcastle XI: Pope – Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall – Ramsey, Tonali, Woltemade – Elanga, Gordon, Joelinton.
Subs: Ramsdale, Botman, Wissa, Barnes, Osula, J.Murphy, Willock, A.Murphy, Shahar
Everton: Pickford – O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko – Gana, Garner – McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye – Beto
Howe made six changes from Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Qarabag, seeing Pope, Thiaw, Hall, Ramsey, Elanga and Gordon replace Ramsdale, Botman, Barnes and two Murphy’s.
The first half was a complete mess, featuring some turgid attacking play, more cheap goals conceded and the manager getting his tactics badly wrong. Joelinton on the left wing against a 6ft 4” right-back? We missed his physicality in midfield and Gordon was crowded out on his own up top, with Woltemade playing too deep to impact the game.
Branthwaite’s opener was too easy from an Everton corner, and our equaliser only came after Howe moved Gordon wide, Woltemade up front and Joelinton in midfield. Tonali’s pass into Ramsey was incisive and the finish came via a big deflection, but we were pegged back almost immediately thanks to Pope’s latest error, and perhaps his worst yet.
McNeil’s shot should’ve been a routine save, yet he spilt it straight to Beto for the easiest goal he’ll score all season. 2-1 and that’s how it stayed in a flat, slow and sloppy first half where the only players even close to being ‘at it’ were Ramsey and Tonali.
A huge second half was needed, attacking the Gallowgate end, and we came up short once again. After struggling for so much of it to break down Everton’s low block, Jacob Murphy drew us level with a low volley…for a few minutes at least.
Straight from the kick off, Gordon lost the ball in an awful area, Everton pounced and Barry scored. 3-2 down, another awful goal conceded moments after we’d equalised and that was that, with a miserable afternoon ending with Jordan Pickford pulling off one of the saves of the season in stoppage time to stop Tonali’s thunderous volley.
Next up, a Premier League home clash with Man Utd next Wednesday, before we welcome Man City to St James’ Park in a week’s time for our FA Cup last 16 tie.
Keep the faith. Howay the lads.
what was that lmao
where do you start saw someone online say it was a performance of self-destruction and this pretty much sums it up for me.
Absolutely glorious(Quote)
I’ve defended them at times, but we are awful. The league performances have been terrible let’s be honest, and all the talk about pulling together after Brentford went out of the window today. We were even worse, against a rank everton. Man C and barca will put us out of the cups comfortably and we are playing to finish above the fn mackems in the bottom half at the very best as Europe is well gone. I knew we wouldn’t get top 5 after the summer but no way did I think it could be this bad.
Still want Eddie to get more time but he needs to get ruthless and have a clear out with a big recruitment in too. Anyone who wants to go can for the right £, only want players who want to play for us, a few either don’t or can’t handle it
East Stand(Quote)
Yet another costly mistake from Pope gifts 3 points to Everton. 12th in the league just not good enough we have bought players badly and they aren’t worth what we payed for them. Our season is finished.
Martyn Brown(Quote)
Awful! Just horrific. Nothing more to say.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Pope, Burn and Thiaw are supposed to be the basis of a solid defence, the three of them seem to have forgotten to do the basics, thought Burn should have been rested after his Qarabag performance but it didn’t happen.
We miss Bruno’s fight and influence, Ramsay was doing ok up to half time and was missed 2nd half.
What possessed Howe to play Joelinton on the left???
Looking for rhythm not going to get it like that!
Felt sorry for Tonali when he sank to his knees after setting Barnes up who just tried to be clever, he has also tried a few back heels lately, must think he’s Pele or someone like that and he definitely isn’t.
Lewis Hall, and Tonali best of a bad bunch.
Joseph(Quote)
With every poor performance like that Howe risks being the victim of his own success.
By getting CL football this season and getting this far into the competition, we have made around £55m – that’s the kind of money our directors notice.
By not qualifying for any form of European football this season – which is the way it’s going, the owners will feel they need a manager in that can cope better – a manager that can consistently achieve those European spots year in year out.
I love what Eddie Howe has done for this club – but there have been too many unacceptable performances this season and today was one of them today.
That’s the issue for me. You can play well and lose games – but I reckon around a third of our games this season have been sub standard performances.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy17:-
I think you are being kind in your assessment.
The massive problem being created by mismanagement is that we will likely lose the players we need to progress.
If we have the situation we have found ourselves in due to poor and panicked recruitment (Howe’s choices at the end of the day) injuries and too many games for the ability of the squad to cope with, we should possibly have concentrated on the Premier league and Champions League for financial reasons alone.
Then we could have used the F.A cup and Carabo cup to develop the younger players imo.
Joseph(Quote)
Joseph – ironically we find ourselves in this position because that scenario happened anyway – if players want to leave, they will anyway – even if we win a cup & qualify for the CL .. you get who I’m referring to right?!.
1. We don’t pay high enough wages. 2. We won’t be competing for titles or winning the CL any time soon.
So if Liverpool come for Gordon & offer the money, he’d go regardless.
If City come for Tino or Bruno – well you get the drift.
That’s just something we have to prepare for regardless – and as long as we sell big and aren’t forced into it coz of PSR like Anderson and Minteh, then I can live with that.
To be fair to Howe, it’s not his job to have to deal with all that Isak nonsense in the summer – and that entire window was a mess because the club didn’t act quick enough to get that support in for him.
This seasons failings are certainly not all on Howe – but it’s entirely likely he’ll pay the price – if anyone does.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The club has supported Howe to the limit .. no excuses Howe is unable to switch formations and tactics and he is still fumbling around trying to fix the isak situation on the pitch … time is up for him all good things come to an end and we need a new more experienced manager who has a won leagues and European competitions with a large summer budget to reform the team .. Eddie did well at Bournemouth for a few years then got them relegated in his last season .. careful what you wish for if you believe Eddie is untouchable …
Mike(Quote)
Yesterday looked to me like players were tired from a busy schedule and saving themselves for bigger games. They were simply a yard off the pace and sloppy.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Sharply 17:-
I certainly do get your drift and the reasons for this seasons “failure” are multi faceted,
It is not all Howes fault I get that, especially when defenders do not know what it is to keep their eye on the ball and attack it, something Everton defenders did admirably.
The defence is not well drilled and someone within the coaching staff have a responsibility to fix that with the players they have at the club.
All the players bought in to the club bar Joelinton & Murphy are Howes players so he must think they are good enough and some clearly aren’t.
We keep getting the same rhetoric from Howe in public, who imo wants to be every players best mate in the name of harmony.
Sometimes as a manager you have to rattle a few cages.
Three new players brought in for massive money are just not performing and it effects the whole team along with others who have too many “off days”
Joseph(Quote)
We cannot compete financially with the Septics. We cannot pay the huge salaries they use to tempt top players away. We cannot compete because we have been hamstrung by the FA and the Septics with financial rules and hindrances and threats of points deductions that are designed to specifically ensure we cannot compete. Designed to protect the Septics and ensure they, and only they are the ones that sit at the top table. Take a look right now at the league. Apart from Villa being in there for the appalling Spurs, it is top six resumed. Villa will most likely get their comeuppance next season by daring to try!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
The septics are already hovering. In the summer, Tonali, Thiaw, Livramento, Gordon, maybe more will be gone for big money to the Septics.
We have massively increased our revenue since the fat man went, but we are still less than half way to what the septics bring in. Yet look at the debt that the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have, yet they still spend billions. Look at the decisions, with or without var that we, and other teams, have had to endure. The whole FA is rotten to the core.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Gilly Toon:-
Yes the FA are corrupt, but most of the Chair persons of teams in the Premier League voted for the imbalanced knee **** rules they implemented.
Joseph(Quote)
Our defense has been our biggest issue all season, we can talk about missing a certain person all we like but if you are scoring { we are } but conceding more, then there is your problem. We have only failed to score in 5 league games and 4 of those were 0.0 draws.
We have scored 40 goals but conceded 42 !, forget the rat he is not the issue, it’s our defense, or moreover our goalie . There are 4 teams above us who have scored less than us and one of them is Villa ! Again scoring we can do with out the rat it’s defending and concentration we lack. You cannot blame Howe for a goal keeper who has brain farts. Tac tics and formations will only take you so far, but you cannot legislate for poor choices made by players, lack of concentration and simple human error.
Until we have the Squad depth of quality players the top clubs have we will always struggle on the 4 competition fronts imo. And every season those same clubs will take our top players, until the rules change to allow parity.
I like Howe, I think he is a class act, but if the club let him go then I hope they get the right man in, I’m not convinced they can attract better at this moment in time.
kimtoon(Quote)
The players looked tired yesterday. Why? Because Howe decides to play the same players in four competitions, over and over again. Meanwhile, academy players just sit on the bench, over and over again.
Then there’s the recruitment, which has obviously been largely influenced by Howe. The attacking options are one-dimensional. Gordon, Barnes, Elanga, Murphy — they are all quick, but they all lack skill, so they are all bad against low blocks. Overpaid for Wissa (and Brentford have a 20% sell on clause) because he was supposed to be a safe bet (an experienced Premier League goalscorer who is guaranteed to come in and hit the ground running) but he’s barely played/scored. Then there’s Woltemade. Yes, he is good with the ball at his feet, but considering the Premier League is fast and physical, it is a huge risk to pay £70m (a record signing) for a player who is very slow and weak. To be honest, I’m not sure if he was a Howe signing, but I do think the vast majority of the others are. It’s just ridiculous to try to blame the whole thing on PSR.
Out of the seven wingers/strikers, are there any that the club actually need to keep? I’d probably say Gordon is the best one, and I wouldn’t say he’s amazing.
It’s March. 12th in the league. Could be 14th at the end of today. Spent loads of money. Not good enough.
Jeremy(Quote)
Nearly all of them American just like the owners of the spetics
Absolutely glorious(Quote)
Jeremy – Howe really messed up not playing the young uns in the CL imo.
We had a 5 goal lead. Even if we lost the game 3-0 we were through 🤷🏼♂️.
But it was a win/win scenario for me. If they go out there & play well and win then there’s a buzz around the club for them – and the senior players worry that they position could be under threat.
Howe also gets to see that his squad options are better than he thought.
If they lose badly then Howe gets to see that there are gaps in his squad that need addressing in the summer.
It was a nothing game we got nothing from in the end.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy17:- Agree,
Pure common sense!
Joseph(Quote)
Sharpy17:
Agreed, 100%.
Jeremy(Quote)
If it was not for PSR, we could well have been able to pay Liverpool level wages and got Ekitike in instead of Waltemade. Players generally go where the money is.
That said, I agree with Sharpy. Howe should’ve played more youngsters in the CL Qarabag game. We missed a massive opportunity there.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Gilly – PSR is 💩 but it’s a wage cap I want to see them bring in over a restriction on spending.
Then clubs aren’t forced to sell players they have developed through their ranks because they return the highest profit – that will never make sense to me that like 🤯.
The bigger clubs would still attract the best players because of silverware & sponsorships, but I think a wage cap would allow every club a better chance.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Good point
kimtoon(Quote)
I guess so, but then it would need to across all leagues, including Spain, Germany and France. Sadly, I cannot see that happening though.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
If we were allowed to pump money into the club from the owner, just like city and Chelsea et al did before the restrictions. We would likely be better positioned to pay bigger wages. Spurs have a wage cap. They are in a relegation scrap. 🤷🏻♂️. I don’t know the answer, and we will not be allowed to upset the apple cart, but we can hope I guess.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Definitely a hierarchy of decisions in the premier league. Chelsea should’ve had 2 penalties against Arsenal, neither given. The FA clearly want Arsenal to win this season.
Septic 6 against any other side – septics get advantage
Septics against another septic – reds (Arsenal, Manure and Liverpool) get the advantage
Non septic vs non septic- advantage to anyone that can stop Toon or Villa disrupting the septics.
Red septic vs red septic – advantage to whichever one gave the biggest bung!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
In reality, that’s likely not true but it sure does look that way. That or we have the worst officials in the World.
kimtoon(Quote)
Lots of greedy owners in football now and lots of greedy players, ours included. Money has ruined the game, no loyalty, no standards and zero respect for the fans, the prices tell you that.
Look how the games get changed K.O’s for TV with no consideration for fans travelling with no late trains and so on, they don’t give a stuff for the fans.
How is it that every Country can watch our Saturday 3pm kick offs on TV except us ? and it cost peanuts compared to what we get charged.
And don’t get me started on the corrupt feckers at FIFA
kimtoon(Quote)
Absolutely Kim! Fully agree.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
I find myself really torn on Woltemade – part of me feels really sorry for him but another part expects far more from him.
He was brought in last minute & with Isak & Wilson gone & Wissa injured, was thrown in with minimal instruction or preparation.
He did ok to begin with, but so much was expected of him.
It was obvious early on that he wasn’t a like for like forward and without other options, Howe had no choice but to persevere with him in that position.
Not forgetting he’s a young lad, in a new Country and part of such a big transfer saga – being talked about by German legends.
He’s now being asked to play in a position not familiar to him – still with a weight of expectation on his shoulders.
All of that is true – but, when I see the graphic on MOTD showing his lack of touches in the opposition box – that’s on him to be breaking his neck to get in the right position.
I don’t expect him to score every chance, but when you see the ball go into the box & hes 10-15 yards outside of it – that’s not good enough.
Is there a place for him or would it be better to sell him in the summer & look to get the forward in that we need??
Sharpy17(Quote)
SHARPY,feel real. sorry for Howe,first he wanted. the Chelsea c/f (Pedro) then L/Pool centre forward who banging them in (top scorer) so he was stuck with third choice as he needed c/f shows me he knows good players but Issac stuffed up the whole show one of those players would have made a big big difference plus Wissa got injured before he played a game,what a stinky start for Howe so I don’t think anyone can blame him,he plays a certain way try’s to improve the **** he got
Icedog(Quote)
Icedog Your right and add to that our then D.O.F. jumping ship at the worst possible time.
There is also which most have forgot Eddie was recovering from pneumonia. I was shocked when he returned so early. Kimtoon and I know how long and tough that recovery can be.
nutmag(Quote)
Agree, he was proper shafted in the summer.
Sharpy on the Woltemade issue, I agree I am torn too, I think in the right team set up he will do well but it isn’t working here, I think he is too lightweight for the PL, if pre season he could get some strength training in that may help somewhat but honestly at times he actually looks scared to take on opo players . When ever I see him play for Germany he often doesn’t get the ball passed to him by team mates when he is in a good position, do they fear he’ll lose possession ? I know I do.
kimtoon(Quote)
NUTMEG them points slipped my memory,think that’s allowed at my time lol
Icedog(Quote)
I see the vultures are hovering and the press and relishing and embellishing it. It’s like a feeding frenzy. As we sink, the stories of Arsenal and Manure wanting Tonali, and City wanting Tino, and Liverpool wanting Gordon, or Thiaw, or Botman, and Chelsea wanting them all … then the stories that Tonali is eager to join Man United or this player wants Arsenal etc etc etc… we have ourselves to blame partly, as these top players want European football as a minimum and preferably CL football and next season we will very likely not be at the table of either one. The septics will pick our bones as we hover in the mediocrity of mid table once again. I just hope we screw the lot of them for absolutely top money. The fact that their poor performances are what has ultimately left us floundering is by the by… I’m fed up with it.
Having seen the ridiculous red given to Palace against Man United by the tw.at himself, Kavanagh, who should not even be refereeing, says it all. The FA will do everything they can to ensure we lose on Wednesday. I hope we don’t make it easy for them!
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Icedog What do you mean ‘my time’ your just a bairn I bet.
nutmag(Quote)
aye mate 81 and still ganning good
icedog(Quote)
Icedog Good for you. We can still show these ‘young-uns’ a thing or two!
I’m 93 years young and am the ‘baby’ of a group of four that get together once a week to put the world to rights! (we’re not doing very well at it at the moment are we?)
‘Hing on marra’
nutmag(Quote)
93 ! Hope I have my wits as good as you by that age Nutmag, I already forget what I went in a room for and search for peoples names.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kimtoon Thank you I do get those forgetful moments like everyone else, but I do spend time keeping my mind fit as well as my body. I didn’t retire until I was a month short of my 80th birthday which I think helped. Think young and keep pushing yourself!
nutmag(Quote)