Lewis Hall rejects the soft tag after Newcastle's Forest draw

Lewis Hall returned to Newcastle's starting XI against Nottingham Forest and played at right-back in the 1-1 draw at the City Ground. He said he was “not best pleased” to be left on the bench, then pushed back on the idea that Newcastle are soft.

Hall's response to being dropped

Hall did not dress it up. “I think any player never wants to be on the bench. I think it goes without saying I wasn't best pleased,” he told chroniclelive.co.uk. That is the most honest part of this story, because it cuts through any attempt to make the selection issue sound routine.

He also made clear he had not bought into the label being thrown at the team. “I wouldn't say [we are] soft, but it's definitely something that we've looked at. We're always trying to put right,” Hall said. It is a fair rebuttal, especially from a player who was back in the side and trusted to play the full 95 minutes in an unfamiliar role.

The numbers from his return were tidy. Hall was rated 7.5, completed 59 passes, won 6 of 10 duels, made 2 tackles and created 1 key pass. That is a decent enough case for him keeping his shirt for the final two games, even if nothing beyond that should be assumed.

What his right-back spell says about Newcastle now

The right-back role is the part that matters most. Hall is a left-back by trade, but he enjoyed it. “I enjoyed playing there today. Similarities on both sides obviously. Some things are different. We've got two games left,” he said.

That leaves Newcastle with a clear late-season issue still hanging over them. They have dropped 27 points from winning positions this season, and the 1-1 draw was another example of a lead slipping away after Harvey Barnes had put them ahead with his 16th goal of the season before Elliot Anderson's late equaliser for Nottingham Forest.

Hall also said European qualification was still possible, but the focus here is more basic than that. He is back in the team, he handled the right-back job against Forest, and he sounded keen to keep going. If he starts again in one of the final two matches, that will tell you enough about where he stands for now.