It is fine for Newcastle United fans to criticise this performance…but drawing these conclusions? | OneFootball

Newcastle United fans saw football return after an enforced break.

However, fair to say that those who filled St James’ Park, were left wondering if it may have actually been best to extend the ban on all football until after this weekend.

The home side dominated all the stats apart from when it came to goals, their possession, shots and corners, failing to translate into more than that solitary goal thanks to a VAR penalty.

Fair to say that following the final whistle there was a relative consensus amongst Newcastle United fans in terms of rating the performance they had just watched, BUT when it came to reacting to this draw and drawing conclusions…a very different state of affairs.

For most Newcastle United fans I think a case of marking it down as a bad day at the office.

However, for a minority (numbers unknown…) of NUFC supporters, they had a different reaction, drew a different conclusion (or two) to the rest of us.

For this latter group of Newcastle United fans, the reaction / conclusion(s) tended to include one or more of the following:

Stating Eddie Howe position in question

Declaring performance one of the worst ever seen

Saying you HAVE to beat ‘teams like these’ at home

Insisting Eddie Howe has to go

Posting messages on social media for the attention of the owners (on Twitter etc) demanding whatever

Insisting it has been a terrible start to the season

Declaring performance a disgrace

Where do you start?

I suppose the booing is as good a place as any.

I have never really been one for booing, unless on the very odd occasion when it seems the players aren’t giving it everything. Or a manager is persisted with who clearly isn’t up to the job, or owner(s) of NUFC taking the mick.

I can’t really see how any of those things applied on Saturday.

Of course, the problem at the end with a poor game like that, is that if a small number do boo, it sounds so much worse because there is minimal positive noise (clapping etc). I didn’t even think there were many booing anyway.

However, for those that did boo, why? What does it achieve? What is the point?

The team didn’t play very well, as I think we all agree. However, I don’t think you could doubt their effort. It just strikes me as feeble, wanting to be heard.

As for one of worst ever performances, a disgrace…well, all I can say is that you can’t have watched many Newcastle matches! Or indeed, many football games in general.

Yes, they weren’t great, but I have seen literally hundreds of far worse NUFC performances and whilst we didn’t win, we pretty much completely dominated the match, hit both posts, their keeper was man of the match, just couldn’t turn the domination / shots and corners (and other set-pieces) into more than one goal.

As for calling time on Eddie Howe, even suggesting things are heading that way, you have to laugh. He has done and is continuing to do a great job. This season the performances have all been of a good or better standard and this to a backdrop of key injuries, particularly in attacking / forward areas. Shelvey out for the opening months of the season, then Wilson, ASM and Bruno as well, the Brazilian clearly not 100% either yesterday. The final insult / blow when Elliot Anderson missed with a knock yesterday, meaning Eddie Howe had absolutely zero inspiration on the bench to turn to.

Surely we all know that the real quality attacking options are still relatively limited in this Newcastle squad, so with a half fit Bruno on the pitch and missing ASM and Wilson (plus the promise of Anderson), breaking down a packed defence and depending so much on Isak who has only just arrived in the Premier League (and scored two in three games now), isn’t ideal.

We all know that the likes of Fraser, Almiron and Willock are unlikely to deliver regular goals and assists but Eddie Howe and the new owners can only change so much in the short-term. Reality is that if everybody was fit now, none of that trio would have started.

Talking of one defeat in nine games, still in the cup and tenth in the Premier League, as supposedly a shocker of a start to the season…

It is frustrating that Newcastle haven’t picked up more points and wins so far, especially because they have deserved to. The draw at Brighton is the only match so far where I thought NUFC deserved nothing and yesterday against Bournemouth was the first one where I didn’t think we played well as a team.

When I struggle to understand some other Newcastle United fans, I always remind myself of back in the day when Kevin Keegan was doing his stuff as manager in the 90s. I knew somebody who was never happy no matter what KK did / achieved, if Newcastle won 4-1 or 5-1 for example, he would only want to talk about the goal that was conceded.

We are obviously nowhere near Kevin Keegan levels of excellence as things currently stand BUT Newcastle United have made a great start on that journey. Maybe for a few more people / Newcastle United fans these days, they expect that route to future NUFC world domination to be measured in days not years.

Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 1 – Saturday 17 September 3pm

Goals:

Newcastle:

Isak 67 (Pen)

Bournemouth:

Billing 62

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Bournemouth 27% (32%) Newcastle 73% (68%)

Total shots were Bournemouth 10 (3) Newcastle 20 (6)

Shots on target were Bournemouth 3 (1) Newcastle 7 (4)

Corners were Bournemouth 1 (0) Newcastle 8 (4)

Referee: Craig Pawson

Attendance: 52,238 (Bournemouth – Not many)

Newcastle United:

Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Targett, Bruno (Longstaff 72), Willock, Joelinton, Almiron (Wood 89), Fraser (Murphy 71), Isak

Unused Subs:

Karius, Botman, Lascelles, Ritchie, Lewis, Manquillo

(3 Positives and 3 Negatives from Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 1 – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 1 – Match ratings and comments on all the NUFC players – Read HERE)

(Every sympathy as Eddie Howe missing three and a half of his front six – Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 1 – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 1 – Allan Saint-Maximin clear man of the match – Read HERE)