Newcastle had Bruno Guimaraes back in the lineup for today’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. However, it was too soon for Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson. Their omission along with the surprise absence of Elliot Anderson handed Eddie Howe limited options up front.
Newcastle needed a spark as ideas in the final third were hard to come by. Anderson would have provided something different from the bench and his youthful determination was sorely missing this afternoon.
Anderson, who was not spotted in Wednesday’s training images, missed the game with what Howe described as a ‘very minor niggle’. Howe stated Elliot would be fit for the October 1st trip to Fulham. We’ll find out if his niggle impacts his availability for the Scotland U21s next week.
Howe also revealed that Wilson is very close to a return. He was not risked today but should be ready to go at Craven Cottage in two weeks. However, the situation with Saint-Maximin is a little murkier as the winger has suffered a setback.
This is what Howe said about his dynamic duo as published in The Northern Echo:
“Callum’s doing very well, we’re really pleased with his progress. He was close for today, but I think we made an early decision that it would have been too big a risk.
“So, we hope that with a bit more time, there’s a chance that the next game could be good for him.
“With Allan, it’s slightly different. He’s had a very minor setback with the physios, so whether or not he’ll be fit after the international break is slightly unclear.
“It’s certainly not long-term, but it’s not clear whether he’ll be fit for our next game yet.”
The injuries to Guimaraes, Wilson, and Saint-Maximin have shown that Newcastle lack strength in depth. Their absences have likely cost valuable points at St. James’ Park. Though they should all be ready to go for the packed October schedule.
Loading ...
180 comments so far
jane
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:23 PM
Comment #41Bournemouth drew with Wolves like we did, beat Forest like we did and lost to Man City like we did. they got thrashed by Liverpool whereas we didn’t. as far as results this season go there isn’t much difference and both teams have the same number of points so the result today isn’t that unexpected. Bournemouth have a manager who has lost yet who seems to be doing an excellent job so far.
The Mighty Quinn
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:24 PM
Comment #42I’ll say night anyway as there a few pricks popping up now.
jane
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:24 PM
Comment #43progress has been made and a top half finish is still easily achievable.
NY Mag
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:25 PM
Comment #44TMQ,
Sorry….didn’t mean to cause an offense 🙂
jane
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:27 PM
Comment #45nor did i if that comment was aimed at me.
magicmac54
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:28 PM
Comment #46In reference to Eddie Howe, i was a huge Rafa Benitez fan, and i can honestly say hand on heart i`m an even bigger Eddie Howe fan now, the guy hasn`t put a foot wrong in my humble opinion, and he is a workaholic, that will do for me all day long HWTL
jane
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:28 PM
Comment #47although i was pretty harsh i have to admit.
NY Mag
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:30 PM
Comment #48Jane,
How can you be harsh on green…..surely you have to go amber for that 🙂
jane
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:31 PM
Comment #49exactly how can we be worried when we are still green.
Fenham to Chalfont
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:32 PM
Comment #50TMQ,
#29 great well put post. We all need patience and I’m personally confident that the owners understand themselves as to what you’ve put across…
IMO they will have Eddie’s back, allow him 2 more transfer windows to ensure they get rid of the fringe players who because of injuries are starting games who are simply not good enough to produce that cutting edge in the final third to break teams down which was evident today. They must note that Eddie has managed to get a tune out of so many players that were not performing previously and were disgracefully mismanaged for so long. The man managed to change their whole mind sets and ethos. Not an easy task and not many managers out there could do this as Eddie has…
I think Eddie will have the team he wants by the next summer transfer window. Then we can really go after the top 6. Not long ago with the team we have had the 3rd best team in the EPL on performance and results.
Mehdad said at the very beginning, patience is needed. Therefore they will be fully aware that’s exactly what’s required at this moment in time. All it needs is a convincing victory against Fulham if we have Wilson and Maximum back in the squad. Then it will be forgotten. I can see us kicking on very soon.
NY Mag
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:32 PM
Comment #51I’m not worried!!!
onmeedsun
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:35 PM
Comment #52Jane
There are so many dedicated sports media outlets now, TV and radio, that they have to talk about something. Hence the bollix about whether our owners would sack Eddie if we don’t finish top half. We’ve only played 7 games, with one loss and a dubious one at that. Lost our 3 best players for half the games. We are getting ahead of ourselves.
CLINT FLICK
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:46 PM
Comment #53Eddie should stick with his philosophy, as it’s the best start point. Forced changes based on fear are suicidal moves.
He was employed for his philosophy.
As fenham says; we just haven’t got the players yet. It’s not gonna be Eddie’s team for a year at least.
We’re doing ok, our momentum has been stymied a bit. But that will be a thing of the past in due course.
Teams are scared of us, already.
Everyone is…& they’re gonna try everything to stop us!
If we can’t get behind that, and become the one and only…UNITED!
Then best leave us to it!
Howay the lads/lasses!
Cheick Batty
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:50 PM
Comment #54Poor today, as usual we just couldn’t score. The final third just isn’t good enough we need better players than Almiron/Fraser and much better than murphy off the bench,
After the break i’d like to see a front 3 of Wilson, St Max and Isak, no particular order as i think they could move and swap about during the game and keep the defense guessing.
DKillers
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:52 PM
Comment #55Is there somewhere I missed where people were calling for Eddie’s head? I haven’t seen it.
I do think any manager is open for criticism, though. The team didn’t play well today. Edie himself has admitted that. I feel like the refusal to move Almiron from the right of the front three is a repeated mistake.
CLINT FLICK
Sep 17, 2022 at 10:53 PM
Comment #562 quality midfielders and a striker would be good.
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:01 PM
Comment #57For five seasons (14 really) we’ve been fighting relegation, it’s more steely determination that gets you through that. Now we’re up against teams that are parking the bus and it’s pure quality that gets past that. We have fight in abundance but are really lacking in quality. It is not an overnight fix and those not good enough are really starting to stand out now.
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:08 PM
Comment #58DKillers,
Nobody is calling for his head, they’re being a bit canny about it by suggesting the owners might.
CLINT FLICK
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:10 PM
Comment #59Nijmegen
Totally mate.
Good observation, and well put.
Toon wasn’t built in a day!
Good ‘tude, dude!
😉
CLINT FLICK
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:12 PM
Comment #60Aye
And dissent breeds dissent…
Bad news is half way round the world, before facts gets its boots on.
CLINT FLICK
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:15 PM
Comment #61Wow!
Son’s first 2 goals… bastard!
Ace50
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:17 PM
Comment #62Jane….we did not lose to Man City
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:20 PM
Comment #63Ace50,
Maybe it felt like a loss, lol
captainmarvel
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:22 PM
Comment #64I agree with Quinny, sadly sentiment in business is non affordable. It is up to Eddie to set the team up to get results.. In this case the team failed and so did the Manager. You might disagree but that is very true.
Yes we love Eddie but it is a results game that needs delivering this today will not help his standing at all.
Fenham to Chalfont
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:24 PM
Comment #65I’d put me house,. No actually wor munds house on it (just in case) that we are signing Maddison in the next transfer window in January. This lad is exactly what we need, there is a huge reason why we side stepped Paquata and that IMO we want Maddison at all costs. Under Eddie and his coaching teams guidance and stewardship, the lad could quite easily become world class. He has it all…
As long as his of pitch shenanigans are in the past… On that note, Southgate very strangely and wrongly overlooks the lad for the England set up. Probably because of Maddison’s previous off field antics and Southgate clearly has his favourites which is why he is wrong for the England managers job and is keeping England shackled. Eddie will get that lad on the world stage and will be our missing link.
Watch this space 😉
Ace50
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:29 PM
Comment #66Lots of short-term memories on the blog. We did not play great today but we are so much better than where we were 9 months ago. We have a pattern of play and are dominating possession over several teams. This was unknown under Bruce, and typically under Rafa as well (who I admired). We need more players but this is a a journey that will take time. Eddie Howe has hardly put a foot wrong since coming in. He deserves a great deal of time imho
Fenham to Chalfont
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:34 PM
Comment #67captainmarvel
#64 it was one performance. We cannot chastise the manager and the team for one dodgy performance? Did you see how the team played against Liverpool and City. We should have beaten them both?
I really think there has been a huge overreaction today from many on here for one bad performance. We are going on as an entitled fan base by a few today. All teams and managers have a bump or blip and today was one. Let’s see how they react, before we cast stones.
On that note. Goodnight… I am sure we will be absolutely fine and all will be forgotten and soon. 🙂
Nicky the ball tosser
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:35 PM
Comment #68We’ve spent 200 million but that won’t equate to a massive gain in points. It means we’ve gone from a side that shuts down games to one striving to stretch them, but we are now finding out just how hard it is to break down sides who play that low dense block, particularly if they are well organised, and of course that when we lose the ball, we are very vulnerable to being passed through. Eddie Howe won’t be under any pressure, yet, but if after the further addition of two or three quality players we aren’t substantially better at finding ways through bottom half teams, football being football, money talks and all that, he certainly will be, and it’s not easy. It’s a phase in our development, a really big one, and Eddie will know he will need to deliver under owners who mean business.
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:49 PM
Comment #69Who suggested that Howe will get preference over sentiment. He will be judged on results like any manager but we’re tenth and only beaten off the PL & CL runners up, we’re on course for a top ten finish, who’s to say that the owners haven’t agreed that will be enough.?
Mund
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:51 PM
Comment #70Nijmegen-toon
You read eerily similar to a poster who left
Hmmm
Assassins Inc
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:54 PM
Comment #71I do hope things get turned around after what we watched today, at one point I was shouting at the TV, for fcuks sake, did we get Bruce back.
I don’t get it, the player’s looked good for like 5-10 minutes and then, well you guys saw the bullshit.
Mund
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:54 PM
Comment #72Magic
I don’t mind Wraith either and I too have met him and it was at the Brighton game when I was at the box. He came over at the end of the game when most had left as he is seated just below Ritchie’s box. Had a chat and he was a proper nice bloke. His family came over who he introduced one by one and they were all top people.
Perceptions eh mate 🙂
I too go off my own thoughts and feelings and won’t be swayed by others
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:56 PM
Comment #73I’m not Dutch if that’s what you mean, anyway, if you think staying up for Match of the day is hard in Blighty, try putting an extra hour on top of that lol.
Mund
Sep 17, 2022 at 11:59 PM
Comment #74Definitely don’t think your Dutch but pretty sure I know who you are.
Just like the rest who go and make Alts it’s easy to see
CLINT FLICK
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:05 AM
Comment #75Ouch!
Gotta learn how to break teams down.
And give some credit to the other guy!
martoon
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:06 AM
Comment #76If you look at the stats we dominated the game but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal – to be fair to Isak he was feeding on scraps. I find it laughable people suggesting Eddie could be replaced by the owners – you could argue they let him down by not securing the players he wanted.
A disappointing result but still a hell of a lot better to watch than Bruce’s dire tactics!
One thing puzzling me is how Trippier is leading MotM voting – most of their attacks were coming down his side which he failed to snuff out and going forward I can’t remember one quality cross he put in!!
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:11 AM
Comment #77martoon,
After the utter dross we’ve suffered and people are honestly suggesting that owners night replace him. People shouldn’t even be talking about that, he pulled us out of the shite and seems determined to deliver us an enjoyable brand of football.
Mund
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:14 AM
Comment #78Nobody is suggesting it Raj just speaking in hypothetical terms
Pretty sure we all want Howe to be here and take us to the very top
DKillers
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:17 AM
Comment #79Fenham, was it really one performance? We didn’t play very well against Wolves or Palace. Or Brighton, for that matter. We played exceedingly well against Forest, Liverpool, and Man City, but it has been an uneven start.
We should be winning games against Palace, Wolves, and Bournemouth.
Nijmegen-toon
Sep 18, 2022 at 12:22 AM
Comment #80DKillers,
You are comparing our form with the latter half of last season, it was never sustainable, we went in to last season fearing relegation and now it seems that people are over reacting because we don’t look like top six. We are a work in progress, we won’t be relegated and I doubt very much we’ll get a CL place.