Jamie Carragher described Newcastle as flat and boring after their defeat to Everton Monday Night Football and thinks that Matthias Jaissle’s team faces a difficult season.
Thierno Barry’s second-half goal gave Everton a 1-0 win at St James’ Park and their first away win in the Premier League this season as Newcastle were jeered at half-time and full time to their fourth defeat in five games in all competitions.
Newcastle have dropped to 13th and are now four points above the bottom three, with a trip to lowly Fulham to come on Saturday.
“I think it will be a difficult season for them Sky Sports’ Carragher. “I felt tonight (Monday) was actually more important for Newcastle than the cup game (the Carabao Cup loss to Everton last week), and it was the opposite for Everton, who are desperate for a trophy.
“But I’m a bit scared for Newcastle, I think it could be a long and difficult season.”
Jaissle was appointed in August, replacing Eddie Howe, and made a promising start by earning entertaining draws against Liverpool and Bournemouth, with a win at Tottenham in between, but that has quickly faded as their home form has continued to be a problem.
No team in the Premier League has lost more home games in 2026 than Newcastle (7) and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 14 games at St James’ Park, the longest run in their league history.
Carragher added: “Watching them recently, especially at home, it feels flat and a bit boring, and that was one thing I didn’t think I would ever describe Jaissle’s Newcastle.
“You think about the system he’s from, the Red Bull model, how they like to play. Sometimes, those types of teams and managers can leave themselves open at the back, but it’s front-footed, it’s aggressive, it’s involving the crowd and we just didn’t see any of that tonight. I’m looking at it a bit flummoxed.
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Did Thierno Barry trip Fabian Schar in the huddle before the only goal of the game?
“I was very impressed with him, how he coped. They were very impressive at Spurs, a great result for them early on, and the results in the main half have been OK, but I think there was always a concern about their performances and their fundamental numbers, even early on.
“I saw Fulham at Villa at the weekend, they were really good, and it’s going to be a tough game, and you look at some of the games coming up.
“I think it will be a difficult season for Newcastle. They have a lot of new players, they have a new manager there. The crowd expects a lot more.”
Jaissle: Our plan didn’t work – I understand the teasing
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Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle understands the fans’ frustration after the first-half and full-time penalties and takes responsibility for his side’s poor performance.
Jaissle opted for a different approach to their defeat against Everton four days ago, but his tactical changes did not pay off, with Newcastle not getting a shot on target until the 85th minute.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t show our style of play for the whole 90 minutes,” Jaissle said. Sky Sports.
“That’s something we’re frustrated about. We had a different approach. It looked really good during the week, I have to say the lads were committed to what we were doing and today we can look back and wonder why we can’t bring that on the pitch. If you can’t do it when it matters, you don’t deserve to win.
“We weren’t brave enough in possession. Too many long balls. We didn’t use double sixes in possession, which I think we were quite good at against Everton a few days ago. Then it was more of a wide game, back and forth, collecting second balls. That was something we wanted to avoid to be more dominant.
“It feels at the moment that there is not much trust. Not only with the young people, but also with the more experienced ones. We have to overcome it as a unit. It is expected when you are in transition. Only together we can get out.
“After a performance like that, I can understand that (fans screaming). That’s a reality and I’m responsible for that. We have to constantly work on the things we need to improve. After today, that’s a lot.”
