Saturday’s match ended Newcastle United 0 Aston Villa 1.

Ahead of each game we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.

Plenty to talk about after this Aston Villa one…

A match that saw Newcastle United go into the break a goal down, with Villa having been the better side.

Newcastle then improving and edging the second half but not having the quality to create many clear chances.

On this occasion it is ‘Matt Busby said to Joe Harvey…’ with the positives and negatives:

My instant reaction comments on The Mag invited folk to challenge me if they thought I was being melodramatic, describing the performance against Villa as something that reminded me of the pre-takeover era.

Some Tapas and more alcohol didn’t lift me out of my morose state, but a late WhatsApp exchange with a switched on mate of mine brought some much needed perspective, helping me through the inevitable writers block that arises when United lose and the Editor has pre-match asked you for three positive things to say!

POSITIVES

The Lewis’ show

Lewis Hall was our best performer, as usual. Meanwhile, his counterpart on the right flank, the other Lewis, Miley was also decent (whilst perhaps a tad guilty of switching off for their goal).

Lewis Hall read the game remarkably well, successfully shutting down threats as they arose, also keeping his discipline with no fouls committed, something that I’ll come back to in the negatives.

I thought Lewis Miley looked good going forward, providing a couple of dangerous deliveries into the Villa box that Wissa and Osula couldn’t convert.

BDB is back

Okay, it might have been right at the death, playing as a makeshift centre forward when Matthias Jaissle threw caution to the wind in a desperate attempt to get us on level terms, but it was good to see our stalwart defender back all the same.

The future is bright

If you want to find a positive away from what happened at St James’ Park yesterday, look no further than the NUFC Under 18s, who are providing the perfect antidote to those first-team blues right now.

The young ‘uns currently sit second in the table on 18 points, behind Man City on goal difference and ahead of third place Man U by five points. The Newcastle United Under 18s having scored 22 goals in their seven league outings so far this season.

NEGATIVES

The stark reality

As a fanbase, we hadn’t heard of FFP or PSR under the previous regime, given how devoid of ambition our previous owner was.

It’s fair to say we’re heartily sick of hearing about balance sheets and things like EBITDA, but a football club’s overall financial standing determines what happens on the pitch more than ever these days.

Many suggested the first team wasn’t good enough as last season stalled. So the manager and our better players have been moved on, a fire sale that’s left us exposed, UEFA SCR constraints meaning United had a minimal net spend and forced to significantly cut the wage bill.

No Cutting Edge

United struggled to create any real chances, managing just one shot on target during the entire match.

Our decision making in the final third was poor, Yoane Wissa wasted a couple of half decent opportunities, whilst Harvey Barnes and Matias Fernandez-Pardo were largely ineffective.

Lack of Discipline

Referee Jarred Gillett brandished six yellow cards in the direction of those wearing black and white over the course of the match, as United looked ragged and ill disciplined.

Joelinton, Nico González and Malick Thiaw were booked for cynical challenges to break up Villa attacks, whilst Sven Botman was fortunate not to be sent off following what looked like a reckless challenge on Nicolas Jackson.

Wissa and Osula were also cautioned in what was a very frustrating early evening under the lights.

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