Matthias Jaissle Has Eight Points From Seven Games and a Booing Crowd

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Newcastle have eight points from seven Premier League games under new head coach Matthias Jaissle and were booed off after last weekend’s home loss to Aston Villa.
Chris Sutton says the team looks “chaotic”, while former defender John Anderson says Jaissle “seems very set in his ways at this moment in time”.
Newcastle have gone 16 games without a home clean sheet, the longest run in their history, and visit Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Newcastle Posted About Keegan’s Side in the Week Their Own Team Struggled

On Tuesday, Newcastle United reminded their 2.8 million followers on X that it was 30 years to the day that Kevin Keegan’s team beat Manchester United 5-0 at St James’ Park and went top of the Premier League. The post landed in the same week that new head coach Matthias Jaissle was still trying to work out why his 2026-27 side has not fired.

The league table gives little help. Newcastle have eight points from seven games, with two wins: away at Tottenham and at home to newly promoted Hull City. They have taken one win from their last five. Last weekend’s home defeat by Aston Villa finished with boos from the stands, and Sunday brings a trip to struggling Crystal Palace (14:00 BST) with a run of three defeats in four games to end. That run includes back-to-back 4-1 away losses at Leeds United on 14 September and Coventry City on 12 October.

What the Pundits and Supporters Are Saying

Chris Sutton watched the Villa game for BBC Radio 5 Live and says Newcastle appear “chaotic” under Jaissle. “There is not enough in the final third in terms of creativity and they have a vulnerability at the back,” he said. He added that “Newcastle fans have every right to be a little bit concerned” and pointed back to the Villa game: “They didn’t look like scoring against Villa and that is what really concerns Newcastle fans.”

Former Newcastle defender John Anderson told BBC Sport that one good win could put the team back on track, but said Jaissle “seems very set in his ways at this moment in time”.

Charlotte Robson, from the True Faith Newcastle United podcast, says the next result carries real consequences. “The pressure will seriously be on if they don’t get a result at Palace,” she said. Supporters have voiced concerns about the team’s lack of identity under Jaissle, and questions remain about why Newcastle have struggled to replace Alexander Isak almost 14 months after he left for Liverpool in a British record £125m deal. Robson also asks for patience after a summer of upheaval. “At the start of the season it was made clear in interviews we wanted to be an aggressive attacking team,” she said. “We are not there yet, we’re still working it out.”

A Summer of Departures

Alan Shearer saw trouble coming. After Eddie Howe stepped down at the end of July, Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer told BBC Sport that supporters should “get ready for a tough season and some very challenging times ahead”. Newcastle had already sold England forward Anthony Gordon to Barcelona in a deal worth more than £69m and midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham in a deal worth up to £100m. A week after Shearer spoke, Bruno Guimaraes joined Arsenal for £75m. Defender Kieran Trippier, 36, also left.

Newcastle spent about £250m on players this summer, and many of the new signings are aged 21 or under. Ivory Coast winger Bazoumana Toure and French midfielder Aladji Bamba have yet to start a Premier League game, though both have been available. Eighteen-year-old Sean Steur impressed when he started against Hull in September and has not played a minute after that start. Rory Smith, football correspondent of the Observer, said Newcastle “went very young and relatively inexperienced” in the market.

The Numbers Behind the Boos

Newcastle have not kept a home clean sheet in 16 games in all competitions, the longest run in the club’s history. They concede an average of two goals a game in the league. Their 14 conceded is bettered only by Crystal Palace (17) and Ipswich (15), who have let in more. Against Villa they managed one attempt on target, from defender Sven Botman, their fewest in a Premier League home match for more than two years, going back to August 2024. When Jaissle sent on centre-back Dan Burn as a substitute, he played him up front.

Jaissle is 38 and unproven in the Premier League. Newcastle paid Al-Ahli £9.5m in compensation to bring him in after he led the Saudi club to consecutive Asian Champions League titles. He is 79 days into the job, following five years of Howe, who won the club’s first major domestic trophy in a wait that dated to 1955. There is no panic inside the club: chief executive David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson are both applying an air of calm, and Jaissle is expected to be given time.

The fixture list leaves little room. After Palace, Newcastle visit Everton in the Carabao Cup last 16 next Thursday, host Everton in the league on 2 November and then visit Fulham five days later before the next international break. Walking into that break without a win in six league and cup games is the outcome Jaissle will want to avoid, and the supporters who booed last weekend want to see an improvement starting on Sunday.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.