Newcastle United's squad is devoid of quality outside of Lewis Hall, and the club is paying a heavy price for what has been described as summer negligence, leaving manager Matthias Jaissle increasingly beleaguered.
The Magpies were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa, with Hall consoled by Jaissle after the final whistle. The defeat extended a worrying run that has seen the team fail to keep a clean sheet in 16 consecutive home games for the first time, while managing just one shot on target in the match.
Recruitment failures compound the crisis
The blame for the club's decline is firmly placed on recruitment, but those who remained after a high-profile exodus have also disappeared down a hole, creating a deadly combination that threatens Jaissle's position. While Jaissle will ultimately carry the can as managers do, head of recruitment Ross Wilson and his scouts must also accept responsibility for the signings made.
The rot set in before Jaissle and Wilson arrived. A year ago, failure to land their top targets led to panic purchases of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, who bombed as the team bombed. This close season brought a dramatic change of tack, with eight signings made, but all were young and none were Premier League streetwise.
Young signings fail to deliver
Only three of the eight signings were deemed good enough to start against Aston Villa: Lukas Hornicek, Nico Gonzalez, and Matias Fernandaez-Pardo. None justified their selection. Meanwhile, Johan Manzambi, who turned Newcastle down a year ago, became the match winner for Villa, being directly involved in five goals in four starts across all competitions.
Questions are also being asked about Aladji Bamba, a not-cheap purchase who has not featured, and Sean Steur, a talented youngster who has been unable to get on during defeats to Coventry and Villa. It is said Steur is too similar in style to Gonzalez, but the Spaniard is living off the reputation of his former club Manchester City rather than his performances for Newcastle.
Experienced players also struggling
The obsession with youth has come at the expense of experience, nous, and street presence. Jacob Murphy cannot get into a poor side, Joelinton is not the enforcer he once was, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman are as resilient as a chocolate fireguard, Nick Pope is third-choice keeper, and Wissa is returning to last season's poor form with nine appearances and one goal.
The team has forwards who can only run and midfielders who cannot run, with pace up front but no finishing quality and no legs in midfield. Stats showed Villa's keeper Zion Suzuki completed more passes in the first half, 24, than any Newcastle player. The referee booked six United players: Joelinton, Botman, Gonzalez, Osula, Wissa, and Thiaw.
Hall's future in doubt
Unless there is a rapid upturn, Hall, a starring England international, could leave a sinking ship in the summer. The club is facing a long, hard winter unless a miracle is conjured up, with the threat of the ultimate nightmare becoming a reality.
