It ended Brentford 3 Newcastle 1.
Before each match, we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives after the match.
An interesting match at the GTech Community Stadium…
Enough to talk about.
On this occasion it is The Armchair Fan.
POSITIVE
What a goal
Harvey Barnes tends to take advantage of the opportunities presented to him when Gordon is injured or suspended and showed nice footwork to turn Brentford defenders inside out before finding the back of the net to send the traveling Toon Army into ecstasy.
This was a fantastic goal in what could be a huge season for the attacking midfielder.
International break
Normally an international break is a boring inconvenience that disrupts the competition season.
On this occasion, however, our team looks jaded and is struggling to cope with the demands of the Champions League and a League Cup campaign, as well as the Premier League.
A break of a few weeks may allow the batteries to be recharged as Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall take stock and prepare for the crucial period of November and December.
Depth of the squad
Because a number of players returned from injury, we were able to make six substitutions on Sunday (including the additional Pope concussion allowed).
A strong bench and some squad rotation should stand us in good stead for the remainder of the season as we battle for trophies on four fronts.
NEGATIVES
Result
Football is a results business and this was an absolute shock.
Once again we took the lead away from home but conceded three and suffered a blow against a fairly ordinary side.
Performance
Apart from the goal we were really terrible.
This was a terrible performance and we got exactly what we deserved.
We were outplayed, outplayed, outplayed and of course outmatched, by a team that clearly wanted more.
Brentford were the better team throughout the ninety minutes and fully deserved the win.
Road shape
Six away games in the Premier League against weak teams.
If we want to qualify for the Champions League, we have to try to win the majority of it.
Instead we’ve had three disappointing 0-0 draws, followed by three terrible defeats.
Three points from a potential eighteen is a terrible return and we played terribly in all six points.
This is just not nearly good enough and is becoming a real concern.
Our away form has the potential to completely derail the season.
#positive #negative #points #Brentford #Newcastle