We asked Davey Hat-Trick to give us his match ratings and player comments after Coventry 4 Newcastle 1 in the Premier League.
Before this game, I was joking to may mates that as Coventry had only scored one goal this season, we should all put our money on a thumping home win. It turns out I have no sense of humour.
Newcastle came to Coventry with something to prove to me.
Willock for Dedić (and the subsequent shift in position for Miley) aside, this was the same starting XI that did so poorly in our last away match at Leeds. They did just as badly tonight.
You could argue – with a degree of veracity – that Newcastle had more of the play and controlled large parts of this game. But where it matters, we were very, very poor. We wasted good chances and conceded poor goals.
Coventry played like a team with belief; Newcastle looked like they lack confidence. We need to get that back quickly. If we don’t, things could get hairy.
Most Newcastle United fans, I think, would tolerate a season of mid-table mediocrity. We’ve had a major upheaval in personnel, and it will take time for things to click, especially with such a young squad. But we looked like a team in relegation form tonight and that was against a newly-promoted team who lost their first four games.
If Newcastle United had won tonight, we’d have gone fourth. We never looked like doing that.
Lukáš Horníček 4
A horrendous error of judgement in the first five minutes, conceding a penalty that he really didn’t need to.
Coventry scored and that set the tone for the rest of the game. Couldn’t do much about the other goals, and to be fair to him, he’s decent with the ball at his feet. But a performance like this makes those around him nervous.
Lewis Miley 4
A couple of decent tackles but he doesn’t look like a right back.
Murphy was cutting inside and I was expecting Lewis to overlap him. I didn’t see it
Malick Thiaw 4
Nervy from the start.
A couple of poor clearances, one of which led to Coventry’s second goal. Couldn’t wait to give Joelinton the captain’s armband when the latter took to the field.
Sven Botman 4
Nervier than Thiaw!
Made a hash of things at the back more than once but scored the goal of the game with a thumping drive.
Lewis Hall 6
I seem to keep giving Lewis a higher mark than his team mates. But that is only because he is usually our best player.
I thought he was again tonight, albeit with no one really pushing him for that honour. Didn’t get everything right but showed tenacity and drive that his colleagues lacked
Nico Gonzàlez 5
I have said this before – probably after the Leeds game – and I’ll repeat it here. A two-man midfield is doing us no favours at all, especially away from home.
Nico is a good player who looked in control when we were in possession (and will be credited with an assist tonight!), but he was chasing shadows whenever Coventry came at us.
Joe Willock 4
Tried hard but never seemed to get on top of things.
He’s been good so far this season but he was poor tonight. Missed a couple of presentable chances.
Jacob Murphy 4
Average at best.
Got a couple of decent balls into the box – one was an absolute peach that should have led to a goal – but wasn’t much of a threat otherwise.
I’d be surprised if he starts on Saturday.
Yoane Wissa 4
Never looked like threatening the Coventry goal, despite a lot of effort on his part.
Didn’t look good on Coventry’s second goal. I know he’s not a defender but I thought he could have closed their man down better than he did.
Harvey Barnes 4
A frustrating performance. Kept running into trouble.
Appealed for a couple of penalties he was never going to get. He can do much better than this.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo 4
Some glimpses of his potential were there for everyone to see.
He’s lightning fast but he repeatedly made poor decisions when he had the ball in the first half.
You could see the confidence draining out of him. He was so anonymous after the break I thought we’d subbed him off. Needs time, encouragement and an arm round his shoulder.
Credit: Newcastle United FC
Subs
Joelinton 4
We looked a little less fragile for a while when big Joe entered the fray.
But he overplayed in his own penalty area and was dispossessed for Coventry’s third. That ended the game as a contest.
A barometer of Newcastle’s season.
Showed promise in our first few games but seems to be less assured now. Played with a scowl on his face.
Bazoumana Touré 6
Did a lot better than most when he came on down the right.
He’d have had a better score if he learned to pass instead of shoot on occasion. I was thinking he’d be a shoo-in to take Murphy’s place on Saturday but he took a nasty blow on his ankle which saw him come off. Looks like a good signing.
William Osula 4
Didn’t do much in his 15 minutes but I’m not sure that is relevant in the grand scheme of things.
Last season he was something of a peripheral figure, although he finished strongly.
This season he’s going to have to take a lot of responsibility for scoring and assisting. We’ll see how he rises to the challenge.
Dan Burn N/A
Not on long enough to judge.