Newcastle chiefs keep faith with Jaissle as pressure builds

Newcastle United’s hierarchy is backing head coach Matthias Jaissle following consecutive Premier League defeats by Coventry and Aston Villa. The backing has sparked off criticism. The club is said to be resisting any temptation to take any action.

Jaissle, chief executive David Hopkinson, sporting director Ross Wilson and performance director James Bunce are all said to be in agreement. Their focus remaining on getting Newcastle back into European competition.

A boardroom in no mood to flinch

The stance compares to the fashion in which the club supported Eddie Howe through his most testing period last season. Seven league games into Jaissle’s reign, there is little appetite for a change to the blueprint. He took charge on 5 August, and the campaign has barely passed October.

Speculation of crisis meetings behind the scenes seem to have been blown up out of proportion. What has followed the setbacks has been measured analysis and a return to work rather than panic.

Two defeats, two different problems

The losses exposed contrasting issues. At Coventry, Newcastle carved out good chances but could not take them. Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and William Osula all guilty of misses.

Against Villa, the problem was a lack of creativity. Newcastle lost 1-0 at St James’ Park, and frustration boiled over on the pitch when Yoane Wissa failed to find Harvey Barnes with a pass, prompting arguments between team-mates. There are also signs that the players are still getting to grips with the idea of “vertical football”.

Still in the hunt

Despite the doom and gloom in some quarters, Newcastle are currently placed 11th and could well find themselves in a European place following a victory at Crystal Palace. A game against Everton in the Carabao Cup also awaits, where a place in the quarter-finals is up for grabs.

Some pundits have been quick to brand Newcastle as a troubled club following the exits of Howe, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Within the club itself, however there is a feeling that building a team, structure and style takes time and that it would be a mistake to judge Jaissle too soon.

Realistic ambitions have been laid out. A drive for seventh or eighth place is realistic and would be seen as a win. Anything lower and the club will be damned.

The trip to Selhurst Park holds the opportunity to silence the doubters. Not just for Jaissle and his players but to prove them right rather than simply wrong.