The back to back Premier League defeats against Coventry and Aston Villa have sparked panic from some quarters, but how are the powers that be looking at things

Given that Newcastle United chiefs backed Eddie Howe to the hilt during his lowest spell as Toon boss last season, the powers that be at St James' Park are hardly going to rip up their plans after seven Premier League games under Matthias Jaissle.

The truth is that Jaissle, CEO David Hopkinson, sporting director Ross Wilson and performance director James Bunce are all on the same page. Like Howe, Jaissle retains full support with a clear vision to get Newcastle back into European contention.

For all the noise and some over-the-top responses to back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Coventry, Newcastle still sit 11th in the table and can climb into a European place with a win at Crystal Palace. That's looking on the bright side, of course, but there are also other warning signs that can't be ignored, including the fact that Toon players seem to be struggling with the concept of 'vertical football'.

At Coventry, Newcastle DID create good chances but couldn't take them as Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and William Osula all misfired. Then against Aston Villa, Newcastle struggled to create much in front of goal and ended up rowing with each other after Yoane Wissa failed to slip a pass to Harvey Barnes.

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So what has happened since? Well, Newcastle have simply got back to work, and for all the talk of crisis meetings at the KNOX, all that has unfolded is some sober analysis. The challenge that lies ahead is to move up to 11 points and book a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup at Everton - and both objectives should be achievable.

Looking at the performance in isolation against Aston Villa, it was quite worrying, but looking at the overall picture on its own, I'm not covering it in doom and gloom like some people have in the aftermath. There is still so much to play for this season, and Newcastle will do well to play as poorly as they have recently for a third game in a row.

I think some of the criticism was a bit overzealous over the weekend, and it feels almost as if some pundits have been waiting for Newcastle to have a slip-up or two, and they’ve pounced. Ever since Howe left and Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes were sold, it seems like an easy tag for Newcastle to be the Premier League's crisis club.

By no means is it all rosy in the garden, but it's not like Newcastle are sitting at the bottom of the table, is it?

I’m certainly not going to sit here and write Newcastle off after seven or eight games of the season. There are things that need to be fixed and players that can come in but it's not the time to panic.

PIF are not going to make a change, because if they do, then that’s the board admitting that they made the wrong choice - and I don’t think they feel that way.

They think Matthias Jaissle is the man who is going to take Newcastle forward, not just this season, but across a number of seasons.

I wouldn't be having any knee-jerk reactions whatsoever. Trusting the process - it's kind of gone out of fashion in football.

Everyone wants touch-of-a-button stuff, but it takes time to build a team, a structure, and a philosophy. Jaissle came in on August 5; we're not even out of October yet.

As for the rest of the season, I'm not saying they're going to soar into a Champions League spot, but are they capable of pushing for seventh or eighth place? Yes, they are. That would represent a success; anything lower leaves the club open for criticism.

Newcastle have got to go to Crystal Palace and win now, and while some will see it as a chance to prove people wrong, not least after some stinging criticism, I hope the players and head coach see it as a chance to prove themselves right.

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