What a downturn in mood eh?
It’s been a bit of a slow burn but the promising start to 2026 has given way to disappointment, discontent and no small amount of hysteria.
The (expected) defeat at Anfield was awful in the way a promising start was surrendered.
The (expected) league cup exit at the Etihad was crushing in the way a horrendous start was accelerated. Losing our grip on the trophy that has meant so much is a reality check. even if we all knew it was likely after the first leg defeat.
Reactions online in particular have ranged from the understandable questioning of a tired looking squad, to outright demands of an immediate change. Today may well be looked back on as a tipping point in the balance of this argument.
I’m not going to go blow-by-blow in the account of this match. It’s no good for anyone’s mental state to relive it in depth, so apologies to those who want an extreme autopsy.
Suffice to say that, after a series of menacing corners which Bruno has become rather good at, Botman headed Newcastle into the lead on his 100th appearance for the club, getting that elusive first goal at SJP.
Of course, you all know by now that yet another lead was squandered. This miserable habit has now cost us twenty points in the Premier League, five points in the Champions League (and a direct ticket to the last 16) and made us endure a penalty shoot out in our only FA Cup tie. It is more than a blip or a quirk, it’s a miserable failing that needs to be addressed and hasn’t.
The squandering commenced with Brentford breaking from a sloppy Tonali pass. Brentford’s counter was as effective as our own are ponderous and Ouattara crossed for Janelt to head in.
There was a degree of misfortune about the next goal, as once again a borderline handball penalty went against us, following on from Thiaw getting penalised for getting pushy over onto the ball the other week and the business in Paris. Murphy harshly penalised this time and Thiago ensured that for the second week in a row we had turned a 1-0 advantage with ten minutes to half time into a 1-2 deficit at the break. Are we that knackered that 45 minutes is too much?
Penalties were ultimately evened out when a long VAR check confirmed Bruno had been tripped and despite Woltemade’s interest, it was the skipper who created palpitations with his jittery run up before equalising. Ten minutes left to find a winner then.
The winner was found of course, by Brentford. Again the break found United floundering and Ouattara supplied the finish. It feels like every time someone counters, we have the look as though one of the back four has been sent off, as a desperate clamour to pick people up inevitably ends with someone in space. I honestly think hindsight will show exactly how magnificent the contribution of Joelinton has been to this team in the past four years. His presence, aggression and willingness to commit strategic fouls is the only factor that stops the midfield being a clear walkway for opponents. Joe’s consistent injuries of recent times have coincided with this kind of shocker at home in particular, and the fact his body seems to be on the wane, means a replacement beast needs to be high on the agenda. Easier said than done.
In the context of a difficult season overall, today feels pivotal. It may well be remembered as the moment where Olympus has fallen, as the boos that greeted both half and full time contrasted with the swell of support for the manager at the start of the match, St James’ displaying unrest for the first notable occasion. My own interactions with friends on WhatsApp groups and scans of the dreaded socials revealed a sense of the final straw. Previous observations that we were competitive on four fronts are blown away by the League Cup exit, combined with a league campaign that looks more geared towards a solid 40 point safety margin than a charge to the European places.
As to the other competitions, the Qarabag business looks set to add to our struggles with the extensive trip mixed in amongst more horrific domestic games. There must be more than a sense of concern that failure to surpass the Azerbaijanis will only add to the mockery of our relative downfall.
Some stats are damning. That habit of throwing away leads, that shocking away record, failure to build a coherent attack (more passing sideways today) and the subsequent underperformance of our summer attacking acquisitions. Wissa’s poor showing was rightly jeered by the Brentford fans, who have won enormously with the inflated fee and the signing of the electric Thiago as a replacement. Annoyingly, their director of football is a Geordie.
Woltemade has potential and needs patience but he looked lost again in a strange series of formations that might have seen him playing as a 10? I hold out hope that any summer refreshes will be to his benefit.
These summer refreshes are the big question. Will they be with Eddie Howe, or will the manager be part of the rejig? My main concern is that Howe remains the only factor in our recent success still at the club. The ambitious recruitment driven by Staveley and Ghodoussi has faltered since they left. Hopkinson and Wilson are talking a good game but both haven’t had time to prove their worth yet. If a new manager is brought in he will still need to combat the PSR/SCR limitations and build a team to challenge from £40-50 million players who will always be susceptible to the higher wages on offer from the septic six.
Those thinking a replacement of Eddie Howe is a silver bullet to shoot back into the top four, need to look at the reality of the situation, as failure to get the next move right could see a multi-year regression. Beware the ides of Souness. If anyone has any confidence in the PIF driving Newcastle United to the stated intent of being number one, I’d like to know what evidence you’re basing that on from the pedestrian last few years. Failure to build infrastructure and a seeming unwillingness to fight the restrictions of APT and PSR does not seem like all stops are being pulled out, as LIV golf and Riyadh Season look way higher up the list of priorities.
In the short term, I will point to a sense of perspective. The only way I believe this season is salvageable is via the FA Cup. Based on recent showings, I have little confidence in anything other than a comfortable exit at Villa Park, but Howe’s challenge is to keep the season alive by pulling out an ace in Birmingham. If he can do this, then there is something to cling onto. Another exit will likely be followed by another unpleasant trip to the Etihad and the situation in two weeks time might be borderline toxic, without even mentioning Qarabag. There is then the matter of a derby coming our way next month that could be an unimaginable breaking point.
We stand at yet another crossroads in our history. While I’d urge everyone to stay grounded, days like this feel extremely miserable all round, not least with the manager himself who looked deflated in the extreme in a presser where he at least claimed responsibility, which I found infinitely preferable to the previous examples of “uncharacteristic” and focus on the minimal positives.
This isn’t over but it has the feeling that we’re entering a crucial stage of end game.
Newcastle 2 Brentford 3 – Saturday 7 February 2026 5.30pm
Match Stats
Goals:
Newcastle United :
Botman 24, Bruno pen 79
Brentford:
Janelt 37, Thiago 45+2 pen, Ouattara 85
Possession was Newcastle 54% Brentford 46%
Total shots were Newcastle 16 Brentford 11
Shots on target were Newcastle 4 Brentford 5
Corners were Newcastle 9 Brentford 3
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 24 Brentford 21
Newcastle team v Brentford:
Pope, Trippier (Burn 87), Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Tonali (Ramsey 87), Bruno, Willock (Elanga 46), Barnes, Jacob Murphy (Woltemade 46), Wissa (Osula 65)
Subs:
Ramsdale, Alex Murphy, Neave, Shahar
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