After an encouraging first month of the season, Newcastle United fans had high hopes for September with winnable matches against West Ham, Watford and even struggling Chelsea on the agenda.
Yet it appears the last four weeks have seen Newcastle go even further backwards from last season, something which seemed unfathomable. Losses to West Ham, Watford and a second-string Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup looked to be behind them when they led Chelsea with 15 minutes remaining, but two late goals from the Blues ensured the Magpies continue to wait for a first win of the season.
While it had been a horrible month for all associated with the club, the worst was yet to come. The Toon were playing well against Manchester City, going into the interval with the scores locked at 1-1, before a Geordies collapse coupled with some magic from Sergio Aguero saw Steve McClaren’s side concede five goals in 15 minutes on the way to a 6-1 defeat which has seen them fall to the bottom of the league.
It will not be the loss itself which upsets the loyal Toon supporters, it will be the manner in which it came. Even the most optimistic supporter was expecting a loss, but to concede as often as they did highlights that there was a clear lack of effort and interest post half time. One man who has come in for a large portion of criticism after the crushing defeat is head coach Steve McClaren and it is fair to say that the criticism is warranted. One has to wonder what on earth he said to his charges at half time, in the lead up to the massacre that followed.
The embarrassment of losing like that is now the least of Newcastle’s worries – for the second consecutive season the Magpies are winless in October. History tells us that if you are still winless around the middle of the month, there is a very strong chance you will be relegated come season’s end and looking at how the Geordies have fared over the last five games, they have a one-way ticket to the Championship booked unless something changes immediately.
It is too easy to say sacking McClaren is a simple solution, he is only two months into the job. Newcastle need to go back to basics by working out why they started the season brightly performance-wise and eventually, results will come. Even this early in the season, the next match at home to Norwich is a must-win because anything other than three points will only escalate tensions and keep the Magpies on a downward spiral. If the Magpies can get a win against the Canaries it will be a timely boost ahead of the derby against Sunderland.
Last season the Magpies won their first match around this time of year and it was the catalyst for five consecutive wins which ultimately kept them up by the skin of their teeth. They need a similar turn of fortunes or else the sanctuary position of 17th place will continue to drift from their grasp.
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