Edde Howe watched on as Saturday afternoon ended Brentford 4 Newcastle 2.
United the better team in the first half but only 2-2 at the break.
Then once conceding a poor third goal on 56 minutes, Newcastle really struggling.
Eddie Howe speaking with brutal honesty on what has happened this season and on Saturday in particular.
These last two games especially, seeing possession gifted and punished by goals for the opposition, whist on Saturday the defending overall was nowhere near good enough as a team, nor in individual moments.
Only 12 goals conceded in the first 14 matches this season, yet the last four have seen 10 goals conceded, including seven in these most recent two games against Liverpool and Brentford.
Eddie Howe reflecting after Newcastle’s defeat against Brentford:
“Really frustrating.
“We are really disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded.
“It is not even individual mistakes.
“There’s two or three actions I’m not happy with for each goal.
“We have to do better in those situations.
“We had control of the game in the first half, then it got away from us after the third goal.
“We looked like a good attacking unit but we have to put it all together and it has led to inconsistent results.
“It is always difficult to face the supporters when you haven’t delivered what you want to give them.
“You want to make them proud and feel elated, you want to give them all the opposite emotions of what they were feeling today.
“I would like to thank everyone who came today and I’m really sorry for what we delivered and my pledge is that we will always work as hard as we can to put it right.
“I’m very disappointed with how we defended.
“The four goals we conceded, we’ll look back on with real regret.
“It wasn’t just individual mistakes, I thought it was collective mistakes.
“The third goal was especially disappointing. I thought we’d fought back really well from conceding two goals.
“The game was very much in the balance at that moment, so it was really, really disappointing from our perspective.
“It was just a long free-kick (for Brentford’s third goal), we missed the first contact and then dealt really poorly with the second contact too. That probably affected us.
“It is frustrating because before the last few games, we were looking really tight at the back and the problems were probably at the other end of the pitch.
“In the last two games, we have scored five goals and looked a really good attacking team, but lo and behold, we go and concede seven in those two games from nowhere really.
“It is difficult to work out.
“A strange sequence for us, we had three consecutive wins against really good opponents (Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest), then we have had mixed performances (in the next four – Wst Ham, Palace, Liverpool and Brentford).
“We have to get it over the line.”
Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Saturday 7 December 3pm
(Stats via BBC Sport)
Goals:
Newcastle United :
Isak 11, Barnes 32
Brentford:
Mbeumo 8, Wissa 28, Collins 56. Schade 90
(Half-time stats in brackets)
Possession was Newcastle 56% (53%) Brentford 44% (47%)
Total shots were Newcastle 16 (9) Brentford 11 (4)
Shots on target were Newcastle 3 (2) Brentford 8 (3)
Corners were Newcastle 4 (2) Brentford 3 (1)
Touches in the box Newcastle 40 (19) Brentford 26 (12)
Newcastle team v Brentford:
Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall (Trippier 83), Joelinton (Tonali 60), Bruno, Longstaff (Wilson 73), Barnes (Almiron 74), Isak, Jacob Murphy (Gordon 60)
Unused Subs:
Dubravka, Targett, Osula, Kelly
(3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Read HERE)
(Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE)
(The wrong kind of six goal thriller this time – Brentford 4 Newcastle 2 – Read HERE)
Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:
Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)
Wednesday 18 December – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm) Sky Sports+ (Carabao Cup)
Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)
Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon
Monday 30 December – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports
Saturday 4 January – Tottenham v Newcastle (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Sunday 12 January – Newcastle v Bromley (3pm) BBC iPlayer (FA Cup)
Wednesday 15 January – Newcastle v Wolves (7.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 18 January – Newcastle v Bournemouth (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 25 January – Southampton v Newcastle (3pm)