Former Newcastle United striker Duncan Fergison has issued his honest verdict on Matthias Jaissle following a tough start to the German's reign at St James' Park.

Newcastle appointed the 38-year-old on a four-year deal in the summer after Eddie Howe decided it was the right time to leave the club, after almost five years in charge on Tyneside.

With the Magpies losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes during the summer transfer window, it was always going to be a period of transition, and so it has proved in recent matches.

Saturday's defeat at home to Aston Villa was their third in four Premier League matches, with the club also losing successive matches 4-1 on the road against Leeds United and Coventry City.

Newcastle may have scored more goals than Liverpool and Aston Villa this season, but some fans are concerned at what they are seeing from an attacking point of view, and individuals in their frontline.

Defensively, there are worries too, given they are currently conceding an average of two goals per match in the top flight, ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Jaissle still has a lot to prove after the success and popularity of Howe, and while he has four victories in nine matches, two of those have come against lower league opposition in the cup. He needs to find solutions at both ends of the pitch before his job is in trouble.

Speaking exclusively, Ferguson has issued his verdict on the German coach after he replaced Howe, and what needs to happen next at St James' Park.

The 54-year-old said: "I like Eddie Howe. He was a great, great manager. Done a lot of things, got a lot of experience.

Look, you just got to give managers a bit of time, haven't you? End of the day, I know nobody gets time now, a few bad results, and before you know it...

"Look what happened to Mikel at Arsenal. They gave him a bit of time. Look what happened to Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United. They gave him a bit of time. Give the managers a bit of time. That's all we need.

"But of course, there's no time now anywhere. Nobody's got any patience now. And fans and social media and managers are coming under a lot of pressure very, very quickly. But give the guy a chance. That's all I would say."

Jaissle Facing Vital Few Weeks

If Jaissle is to convince some Newcastle fans that he is the right man to lead them forward, then he is now facing a crucial four-game period over the next few weeks.

Crystal Palace are first up, and new Eagles boss Pierre Sage is also struggling in the early months of his reign, with the Londoners lying one point and three places below the Magpies in the Premier League table.

Next up is a Carabao Cup and league double header against David Moyes' Everton, with a chance to maintain a bid for silverware and try to catch the eighth-placed Toffees in the league.

Finally, they travel to another lowly side in Fulham on November 7, with the Cottagers currently in the relegation zone, having just picked up their first win of the season against Hull City last weekend.

With Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United in their next three games after that, they need to pick up points in their next run of games.