Brentford 3-1 Newcastle: Eddie Howe says ‘we let everyone down’

A well-known chant echoed throughout stadiums across the nation not long ago.

«I don’t want to leave,» chanted Newcastle United fans over and over. «This is the greatest journey I’ve ever experienced.»

However, victories at the Emirates, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Old Trafford felt surreal on Sunday as Newcastle suffered a 3-1 loss to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

This was certainly not the anniversary gift Howe had envisioned as he celebrated four years as the Magpies’ manager.

Howe’s squad has not won an away match in the Premier League since April and now sits just two points above the relegation spot.

«I can’t provide you with a satisfactory explanation for that because it simply isn’t satisfactory,» Howe remarked when questioned about the disparity in away performances.

«We haven’t performed our roles correctly and we feel like we’ve disappointed everyone. When that happens, when mistakes are made, it’s not intentional by anyone. All you can do is admit it and say: ‘Alright, let’s work on fixing it.’ That’s our goal moving forward.»

Similar phrases were spoken, of course, following a 3-1 loss to West Ham in London just a week ago.

Captain Bruno Guimaraes even expressed that his team was «going to be inspired for Sunday».

Nine of those who started at the London Stadium were given the opportunity to end the club’s wait for an away victory versus Brentford.

However, this is a squad that has developed an unfortunate tendency to shine at St James’ Park during evening matches and in Champions League encounters, only to falter in tougher tests of their character during away days in the Premier League.

Without fail, just days after a 2-0 home win against Athletic Club in the Champions League, Newcastle stumbled again on the road – despite taking the lead through Harvey Barnes.

«It’s challenging to identify the difference,» Barnes told Sky Sports. «There shouldn’t be a significant disparity. The results ought not to vary as much as they currently do.»

Yet it continues to occur.

The term «relentless» has frequently been applied to Newcastle at their finest under Howe throughout the years.

However, it was telling that Brentford manager Keith Andrews rightly employed that term when discussing his own team after they covered more ground, won more aerial contests, and had sevenfold the number of shots on target compared to Newcastle.

«We want our ground to be a site where the opposition feels uncomfortable,» he stated.

It undoubtedly was for a fragile Newcastle outfit.

It may be easy to overlook that Newcastle initially led at half-time, yet failed to capitalize on that upper hand.

The Magpies took almost thirty minutes to register their first attempt on target, which Barnes strikingly finished, but did not create another opportunity.

This narrative has become commonplace.

Newcastle has been unable to score more than once in any of their nine winless away matches in the league.

Club record signing Nick Woltemade has had a stellar beginning – netting six goals in twelve appearances. He provided a moment of brilliance at Brighton last month to momentarily level the match, and assisted Barnes’ goal on Sunday.

However, he has appeared increasingly solitary on the road, often dropping back to engage.

At a time when his fellow forward Yoane Wissa is injured, few others are stepping up to relieve the burden or secure that vital second goal in matches.

In fact, apart from Woltemade, Barnes and Jacob Murphy are the only other Newcastle players to find the net away from home in the Premier League this season.

«We were aware that the outset of the season could be slightly rocky as we entered a transitional phase with the team,» Howe remarked. «However, we have no excuses.»

Defensive issues are just as concerning for Newcastle as their scoring troubles.

When they failed to score in their first three away matches of the season, they could at least rely on a solid defense to secure clean sheets and points against Aston Villa, Leeds United, and Bournemouth.

However, Newcastle has since conceded eight goals – against Brentford, Brighton, and West Ham – and what should be a formidable team ultimately crumbled at the Gtech.

After Sven Botman could merely deflect Michael Kayode’s long throw across his own goal, goalkeeper Nick Pope was caught off guard as Kevin Schade headed in the equalizer.

Guimaraes may have argued with referee Stuart Attwell that Pope was hindered, but the goal was correctly awarded, and Newcastle never regained their footing.

Dan Burn was very fortunate not to concede a penalty the first time after fouling Dango Ouattara in the box.

But instead of substituting Burn at that moment – when the towering defender was already on a yellow card – Howe chose against it.

By the time left-back Lewis Hall finally came on from the bench, his team was down 2-1 following Igor Thiago’s penalty, Burn had been dismissed for a second yellow after fouling Ouattara, and Pope had exited due to a concussion while Joelinton also limped off.

Yet Newcastle’s defensive woes only intensified.

Malick Thiaw failed to intercept Mathias Jensen’s through pass leading to Brentford’s third goal, and the lackadaisical Botman was far too slow to respond as Thiago calmly slotted the ball past substitute Aaron Ramsdale.

It evoked memories of Newcastle’s performance at the Gtech during a similar time last season when they were beaten 4-2.

That painful defeat proved to be a pivotal moment, but there’s little to suggest this team is on the verge of a remarkable nine-match winning streak again.

They appear far from that.

«We assume full responsibility for our performance, and only we can turn things around,» Howe concluded.