'caught In A Trap' - Newcastle Now Need To End Away-day Blues

If ever a four-day play summed up Newcastle United's funny season.

On Sunday, Eddie Howe's squad suffered a bruising 3-1 conclusion against struggling West Ham astatine London Stadium.

It was a consequence that near travel-sick Newcastle languishing successful nan bottommost half of nan Premier League table.

To deliberation this broadside went connected to leapfrog Real Madrid into sixth spot successful nan Champions League standings pursuing a 2-0 triumph against Athletic Club astatine St James' Park a fewer days later.

It was their 5th consecutive location victory, but that was not origin for ceremony for Howe.

Sunday's travel to Brentford was not acold from his mind arsenic Newcastle look to yet reside their away-day woes aft failing to triumph connected nan roadworthy successful nan convention since April.

"It's hugely frustrating because I deliberation we person a style of play and a method of play that works, that's really effective," nan Newcastle caput coach said.

"For immoderate logic we person not been winning nan games distant from location that we should have.

"Now we're benignant of caught successful that trap wherever it's becoming a taxable of speech and we're astir apt becoming much alert of it."

Newcastle's players were surely made alert of it earlier this week.

There was nary spot for nan squad to hide arsenic they were subjected to what defender Dan Burn described arsenic a "very painful" study convention successful nan days aft nan West Ham defeat.

"We saw really acold disconnected we were from what we expect from ourselves," Burn said. "But that's nan champion measurement to learn.

"You person sewage to person immoderate uncomfortable conversations sometimes and nan head is rather bully astatine doing that. He is ever very honorable pinch what he says."

Burn, who went connected to unfastened nan scoring pinch a slug header, ever knew that Newcastle would respond against Athletic.

The hosts hardly needed immoderate added information to title a Champions League fixture nether nan lights astatine St James'.

In his programme notes, up of nan game, skipper Bruno Guimaraes moreover wrote that nan stadium was a "safe spot for america wherever we cognize we play our champion football".

And results surely backmost those words up.

Newcastle person defeated Athletic, Tottenham, Fulham, Benfica and Nottingham Forest by an aggregate scoreline of 11-1 connected location ungraded successful nan past period alone.

They person a 70% triumph complaint astatine St James' this season. That grounds should beryllium moreover amended - precocious concessions proved costly against Arsenal and Liverpool – but these respective title challengers and Barcelona are nan only teams to person beaten Howe's broadside connected Tyneside.

Each by a azygous goal.

Yet it has been a very different communicative distant from home.

Newcastle person only won 4 convention games connected their travels successful 2025 and they person looked particularly blunt of late.

Howe's broadside person scored a 4th arsenic galore goals (two) distant arsenic they person astatine location successful nan convention (eight), and bottommost of nan array Wolves are nan only broadside to person netted less (one) connected nan road.

Jacob Murphy's opener against West Ham was a uncommon illustration of this broadside being ruthless distant from location successful nan convention – conscionable 26 seconds aft Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen had struck nan post.

Though Newcastle person had much possession distant (56%) than astatine location (47.1%), according to Opta, Howe's squad person had 30 less touches successful nan guidance container (110) and they person only had half arsenic galore shots connected target (13) connected their travels, which highlights nan difficulties they person faced breaking teams down.

Newcastle could astatine slightest autumn backmost connected their solidity arsenic a guidelines to build from earlier successful nan run pursuing shutouts against Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth successful their opening 3 distant games of nan season.

But nan visitors person since leaked 5 goals successful conscionable 2 matches versus Brighton and West Ham.

That protect effort starts pinch nan property from nan front, but Newcastle person won possession backmost connected 8 less occasions (16) distant than astatine location (24), while much-lauded midfield trio Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Guimaraes person been many times bypassed connected nan roadworthy successful caller weeks.

Burn has spoken of nan request to "be a spot much ugly", referencing really his broadside were "well-known a fewer years agone for something-housery".

Howe recognised his broadside "possibly request a spot of that" up of Sunday's travel to nan Gtech Community Stadium arsenic he called connected his players to bring nan "quality, transportation and, astir importantly, nan mindset".

"It's astir playing a crippled of shot and delivering a bully capacity – sloppy of wherever we are playing," he said.

"The only measurement we tin reply those questions is to execute and really do nan business."