Newcastle still back Matthias Jaissle after poor run

"Matthias Jaissle is still highly regarded within the Newcastle hierarchy," Pete O'Rourke said, and that remains the club line despite the noise around the start of the season. Newcastle have won once and lost three times in their last four league games, but the internal view is still that this is a blip rather than a break point.

The results that changed the mood

The damage to the mood has come from the away defeats. Newcastle were beaten 4-1 away to Leeds and 4-1 away to Coventry, and O'Rourke said it was the manner of those games, not just the scorelines, that infuriated fans. He added that the side were "sort of out-fought in both games."

That sits against the stronger opening that included a win over Tottenham and draws with Liverpool and Bournemouth. Newcastle are 11th in the Premier League with 8 points from 7 matches, a start that looks uneven but not disastrous. The overall record is 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, with 10 goals scored and 14 conceded.

Why the club are holding firm

O'Rourke also said Newcastle expect "a bit of an up-and-down season" because of the young squad and the major changes made in the summer. He pointed to the turnover in and out of the club, while saying Jaissle has been "a breath of fresh air for a lot of Newcastle fans" even if results now need to improve.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa was another reminder of the wobble, with Newcastle beaten 1-0 at St James' Park. The patience may not last forever if the performances keep missing the mark, but the present stance is clear enough: Jaissle is still backed, and the next few league matches will decide how much room he keeps.