ANOTHER damning performance as Newcastle stutter at a critical point of the season; has the rot already set in, or can Eddie Howe turn it around?
What was looking like a slight trip is now threatening to be a heavy fall, as Newcastle slumped to a crushing 3-2 defeat at home to Brentford on Saturday (February 8).
Boos from the home crowd cascaded around St James' Park at half and full-time as Newcastle and Howe find themselves intrinsically linked in their most difficult period since the 2021 PIF-backed takeover.
Although Howe has reaffirmed he has "no doubt" that he is the right man for the job, as Newcastle attempts to turn their season around, currently, players, management, and the board are not singing from the same hymn sheet.
Brentford fallout
Results this season, of course, haven't been good enough, but what is more concerning is the manner of Newcastle's performances.
Dire, dull, drab; the very antithesis of the high velocity football that fans have come to love under Howe since he was appointed in late 2021.
At the time of writing (February 9), ahead of the Magpies' trip to Tottenham on Tuesday (February 10), Newcastle sit atop the Premier League... that is in terms of points dropped from winning positions; now 19 after 25 matches played.
After the Brentford game, that is now 13 goals conceded in five games. Howe's side is shipping goals and continues to do so late into games - a concurrent theme of this season.
Newcastle's lead slipped away just thirteen minutes after Sven Botman's opener (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Going forward, Newcastle haven't fared any better; if anything, worse. The team seems devoid of any semblance of creativity, flair, and most importantly, ideas.
Albeit for the occasional individual brilliance, this season from the likes of Lewis Hall, Lewis Miley, Harvey Barnes, and player of the season to date, Bruno Guimaraes, it's hard to ever see a time Newcastle will score.
The team needs a new creative spark - something that has to be a priority in the summer - but that's a story for another week.
Since Howe's appointment, Newcastle have become known as a high-pressing, counter-attacking team, a style that suited and perhaps maximised the potential of the squad at the manager's disposal.
Although the Magpies have been steadily picking up more possession over the last year, particularly in the 25/26 season, and most notably against what are considered 'smaller clubs', Newcastle routinely takes home the lion's share of the ball, but doesn't seem to do a lot with it.
Backwards and sideways passes, and a constant recycling of possession, have become the norm, and in Newcastle's defensive third, have at times bred mistakes.
Newcastle have struggled time and time again to break down deep, low-block style teams.
When Newcastle eventually do make it through the lines of the opposition, at the edge of the 18-yard box, usually a cross comes, with zero intent of meeting a man.
The team is then, more often than not, caught on the break - leading to a leaking of countless opposition goals - case in point, the recent Manchester City and Bournemouth games.
Yoane Wissa, alongside Kieran Trippier and Jacob Murphy, were several of a number of Newcastle players, to put in drab performances against the Bees (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
In a similar vein to the last several seasons, injuries continue to hamper Newcastle, whose players have missed the most matches through injury of any Premier League club this season (around 700 days after 20 injuries - Premier Injuries).
With the increased schedule and high number of injuries, fatigue has also played a factor.
Injuries have plagued Newcastle for years now - I think a serious assessment of the physio department is necessary; however, after all the money that has been spent, namely a five-year net spend of £-430.61m (Football 365), player injuries and a larger fixture list, should not unravel the season to this extent.
For Newcastle, whose spending since the 21/22 season puts them fifth in the table in the Premier League for net spend outlay during that period, to be producing performances that rival those of John Carver and Steve Bruce is unacceptable.
Future outlook
I, like a large portion of Newcastle fans, love Howe and the moments he has given us; he has been a fundamental factor behind the reinvigoration of the club, and it doesn't take a genius to see how much he and his team have bought into the identity and fabric of both Newcastle United and the wider region.
On Monday (February 9), Howe said that he has "no doubt" that he is the right man for the job, and would step aside and let somebody else manage the team if he did not.
This follows his comments on Saturday, when he took "full responsibility" for the current rut and added, "I’m obviously not doing my job well enough at the moment".
It's honest comments from the manager, who, in my view, despite the more than poor run, deserves at least the end of the season to turn this spell around.
The achievement of guiding Newcastle to two Champions League campaigns and two cup finals in three seasons cannot be understated, and I think Howe has more than earned that right.
Saying that, he needs to address some of the pressing (literally) issues at hand, and hopefully, fast, as the fixture list doesn't get any easier for Newcastle, who will continue to try and turn around this spell and secure European football once again.