An unhealthy atmosphere brewing ahead of Newcastle United playing Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

I know it is not all Newcastle United fans…

However, I do feel that this appears to be a significant (and very vocal!) minority of Newcastle United fans.

Fans who have whipped themselves up into such a feeling of over the top negativity 11 days and two games into the new season.

So much so, that I it appears for some of these Newcastle United fans, that they actually want NUFC to lose at Nottingham Forest, so they can (in their own heads) feel justified with that sky high negativity AND really let rip if/when Newcastle lose tonight.

I don’t know whether these days it is just too many of us taking too much notice of clowns on social media, clowns who are so desperate for attention and/or clicks that they will literally say anything to get noticed, especially those trying to make some cash out of going so extreme on the negativity.

Anyway, ahead of tonight’s match, it feels like the message from this minority of Newcastle United fans to their club, head coach, the NUFC owners, senior management, the players, the tea lady…. is ‘Right, if you lose tonight, you are really going to get it!’

It seems to me that no matter how and why a defeat might happen, that won’t change anything, that the (online) mob will be calling it a disgrace, this opening week and a half of the season a disaster, the club is in crisis, with public naming and shaming of those to blame.

If you think these opening couple of games this season are the worst to ever happen to Newcastle United, then you haven’t supported NUFC for very long, basically never.

My head is still spinning that for so many fans the Southampton match has become something to point to as showing just how bad things are at the club in this start to the season…

Rather than a brilliantly uplifting thing that despite going a man down after 28 minutes with the game goalless, Newcastle United’s players massively showed their desire, commitment, fighting for each other and us the fans AND (mainly defensive) ability, to then play 73 minutes with 10 men to keep a clean sheet AND score the winning goal.

I find it laughable that so many Newcastle United fans (and those in the media) are wanting to make so much of around 20 minutes when it was 11 v 11 and NUFC looked a bit flat and stood off their opponents, rather than a high press. The reality for me having been that the first seven or eight minutes or so DID see Newcastle United doing their high press BUT Southampton brave and playing it around the back and through the high press. Which to me led to the players and/or Eddie Howe deciding to play it safe for a bit and drop off, not leave just big gaps behind the midfield that could see Southampton get a potentially killer goal. For sure, I think if it had stayed 11 v 11, Newcastle would have picked things up as the clock ticked on and with the help of good quality subs, have eventually won by a couple of goals.

At Bournemouth it wasn’t shocking. Newcastle were second best in the middle of the match BUT started the match by far the better team in the first 15-20 minutes, then the same in the final 25 or more minutes. As others have pointed out on The Mag, all the stats show Newcastle ahead, whether possession, shots on targets, touches in the opposition box, corners and so on. Plus, our own eyes saw their keeper having to make some stunning saves to avoid defeat and indeed Neto the man of the match.

This doesn’t mean this has been a perfect start to the season BUT nor does it make it a disaster.

Again, as others have pointed out, the likes of Gordon, Willock and Trippier are still working towards full match fitness, the two England internationals having had extended breaks after the Euros, whilst Willock coming back from a bad injury.

Then you have the likes of Tonali now returning, Wilson expected back after Sunday’s game v Spurs, same with Schar, with Botman, Lascelles and Lewis Miley hopefully in the not distant future as well.

Yes it has been frustrating but also strong media claims that Marc Guehi will now finally become a Newcastle United player, with a fifth bid expected to be successful, after Crystal Palace had made clear they would refuse to sell until the very end of this window.

Starting the season slowly, indifferently, isn’t a rare thing, indeed it can happen to the very best.

Back in August 1996, Newcastle’s first three games saw a tame loss at Everton and a shock home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, with a not that convincing 2-0 win over Wimbledon in between. That was immediately followed by seven Premier League wins in a row and an eventual finish as runners-up in the Premier League (for a second season running).

I am not claiming this is sure to happen this time, there again though, similar long winning runs have happened a fair few times under Eddie Howe…

Back to tonight though.

I hope and expect that Newcastle United will play well tonight.

However, we were handed just about the toughest draw possible of those we could have been drawn against in the northern half of the draw AND away from home, as usual!

Nottingham Forest are no mugs and this is a difficult match, even if Newcastle United play well, we might still not beat them.

I would be gutted if NUFC did go out of a cup competition so early BUT I wouldn’t see it as a clear sign that the ceiling is falling in and impending disaster is surely facing Newcastle United.

In a one-off match anything can happen and I think that just like I won’t prematurely judge this Newcastle United transfer window until it closes, I will give it at least three months before judging the league situation, Newcastle set to have played only 11 PL matches before West Ham at home on (currently) 23 November.