Newcastle hopes of getting back on track sunk by Watford’s Odion Ighalo

Steve McClaren likened last Monday’s defeat at West Ham United to a car crash but had remained cautiously optimistic that, back behind the wheel again, his Newcastle United players would safely negotiate the hazards strewn across the road by Watford . 

The former England coach had clearly not bargained for his team again forgetting to keep checking those all important wing and rear-view mirrors. It left the excellent Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney free to enjoy themselves as Quique Sánchez Flores’s side continued their promising start to Premier League life.

Newcastle, meanwhile, ended the afternoon stuck in a metaphorical ditch. Forced, embarrassingly, off the road by newly promoted visitors, they are still to win a league game this term, have scored only three goals and are being kept off the bottom of the table only by virtue of having a marginally better goal difference than Sunderland.

Following a first-half surrender, they performed appreciably better in the second period with little cameos hinting at better days to come – eventually. With Newcastle’s next two League games against Chelsea and Manchester City, the immediate horizon looks less than sunny.

“It’s not a crisis, it’s not a time to panic,” said McClaren, remaining commendably calm. “It’s a long way off a crisis – we just need to find a way to win. Everyone knew this was a hard job – and now we’ve got the proof. It’s a huge club and turning it round isn’t going to be easy.

“There’s a lot to work on but as a backroom staff we’ve got the experience to turn it round. It’s early, we’ve a long way to go, a lot of points to play for. But we’re going to get a lot of criticism so that dressing room has to stay tight, stay calm and stick together.”

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