The fallout from Newcastle United losing to Sunderland was always going to be extreme.
Especially when it was for the second time this season.
The worst possible time as well, with a three week gap before Eddie Howe and his players have another match to start putting things right, hopefully.
Newcastle United could and should have done better against Sunderland but there were overriding factors that had made it more likely that things might not go well in the derby.
The bookies had made Sunderland a 4/1 chance to win the game, basically a one in five chance to do so. That is a neutral view, they are only interested in making money and offer the odds accordingly, I think once you factor in the draw as well, then the neutral stance from the bookies was that the Mackems had roughly a 50/50 chance of not losing.
As we all know, it looked to be heading for a disappointing draw and then in the 90th minute it became a horrifying defeat.
We all have our own opinions but talk of players not trying and suchlike is just nonsense. I thought Newcastle were easily the better team in the first half despite not playing great, Botman very unlucky when heading against the post, whilst Elanga had a couple of decent chances as well as a couple for other players.
The boot in the face from Brobbey that caused a fracture for Sven Botman, had me thinking of what happened down at their place when the cowardly challenge from the Sunderland defender put Dan Burn out of action for a good while.
Newcastle never really seemed to properly get going again after the long delay whilst Botman was treated on the pitch and then his subsequent subbing off. It felt like mental fatigue as much as physical to me, as the United players once again found the second half increasingly tough going, having had a tough away Champions League match at Barcelona. The derby down on Wearside had followed a midweek for NUFC away at Leverkusen.
It doesn’t make it impossible to then win the next match, but for anybody to believe that playing more matches than any other team in Europe isn’t a huge huge challenge, I think you are kidding yourself. In reality, Newcastle have only a small squad of outfield players, certainly those who are good enough to regularly make a difference. So to have Bruno, Tonali, Miley, Schar and Krafth all missing, plus I don’t think Livramento is back to full fitness yet after his time injured. So Eddie Howe against Sunderland, needing to leave some fatigued players on to complete the full game, whilst bringing players off the bench who in truth, you are hoping might make a difference, rather than expecting them to.
Newcastle United lost on Wearside to a really poor Sunderland who never threatened, Nick Woltemade with that key unfortunate moment, when pretty much nothing happened at either end of the pitch otherwise. As the match went on at St James’ Park last weekend, I think you clearly saw concentration levels dipping and far too much space afforded to Sunderland. A bad Ramsdale mistake gifted the equaliser and then slack marking and failing to react quickly enough saw the Mackems scramble the winner.
I just think this has been the story of our season, all of the factors described above (small squad, injuries, as well as a disastrous summer where the Newcastle United owners didn’t deliver the key signings Eddie Howe had wanted in most cases, whilst five of the six eventual signings had no pre-season with NUFC to prepare properly) leading to an up and down campaign, making United susceptible to a defeat like the Sunderland one, just as was the case with the likes of the home ones against Everton and Brentford.
The idea though that this has been a total disaster this season, with no positive moments, is wide of the mark. Even in the lead up to the Mackem match, we had seen 10 men United beat Man U, then go to Chelsea and win whilst keeping a clean sheet.
I think my big disappointment is that if we had picked up the six points against Sunderland, Newcastle would now be level on points with sixth place Chelsea and one point off Liverpool in the last Champions League spot. Whilst if also winning those home games against Everton and Brentford, Newcastle would have been one point off third.
Whether from those four matches or others, I have no doubt that without having the 12 Champions League matches, Newcastle United would now be secure in a Champions League qualifying spot and almost certainly with only Arsenal and Man City above.
With a game only once a week and what look some winnable fixtures, plus the likes of Bruno and Tonali back in the team, I would take anybody’s money on Sunderland and Newcastle United, in terms of who will finish higher in the table. Any Mackems who want to have a bet, please get in touch.
Not that I see finishing above Sunderland as an achievement, more a case of the norm so long as Newcastle United are doing OK.
There will be no victory parade this season but if Newcastle United end up finishing somewhere in the top eight, get some kind of European football, having got to the semis of the League Cup (for a third time in four seasons), got to the last 16 of the Champions League (furthest United have ever got in it) and knocked out in the last 16 of the FA Cup, I think it would be a decent showing considering what a near impossible challenge this season became. Reality is that with more than double the turnover Newcastle United have, as well as so many other advantages, Barcelona and Man City denied us progress in the knockout competitions. Then the Premier League season has undoubtedly suffered because of the 20 extra other games played in those other competitions.
It has been a bruising season but Newcastle United will get back on track in these final seven games of the season and many lessons learnt, especially hopefully when it comes to the club’s owners and the need to give Eddie Howe the proper support that is essential.