The new owner dividend is yet to cash out for Newcastle United but there was one sliver of credit to withdraw on a night their winless record extended into a fifth month of the season.
That dreadful start has deepened fears that relegation will be the fate of the club with – theoretically at least – the deepest pockets in global football. Not being able to beat Brentford and Norwich in successive home games tells you which way the wind is blowing on Tyneside and the frequency with which they are their own worst enemies does not offer much hope for a reversal of fortunes before a potentially transformative January.
Ciaran Clark’s mind-numbing red card inside ten minutes changed this game and potentially ended his Newcastle career. One game is the penalty but with Federico Fernandez – at last restored to the line-up – in decent form here, a comeback appears a long way away – especially as United have let it be known in football circles they are searching for a centre-back.
That Clark – signed to get Newcastle promoted in 2017 – remains a fixture in this line-up tells its own…
