3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Brentford 3 Newcastle 1 | OneFootball

It ended Brentford 3 Newcastle 1.

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

An interesting game at the GTech Community Stadium…

Plenty to talk about after this one.

On this occasion it is The Armchair Fan.

POSITIVES

What a goal

Harvey Barnes tends to take the opportunities given to him when Gordon is injured or suspended and he showed fancy footwork to turn the Brentford defenders inside out, before finding the back of the net and sending the travelling Toon Army into ecstasy.

This was a fantastic goal in what could be a huge season for the attacking midfielder.

Usually an international break is a boring inconvenience, disruptive to the league season.

On this occasion however, our team look jaded and struggling to cope with the demands of Champions League and a League Cup campaign, as well as the Premier League.

A couple of weeks break may well allow batteries to be recharged, whilst Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall take stock and prepare for the crucial November and December period.

Squad depth

A number of players coming back from injury meant we were able to make six substitutions (including the extra allowed Pope concussion sub) on Sunday.

A strong bench and some squad rotation could have us in good stead for the rest of the season as we battle for trophies on four fronts.

NEGATIVES

Result

Football is a results business and this was an absolute shocker.

Once again we took the lead away from home only to then concede three and take a hammering against a fairly ordinary side.

Performance

Apart from the goal, we were truly dreadful.

This was an awful performance and we got exactly what we deserved.

We were outplayed, out-thought, out-fought and of course out-scored, by a team that clearly wanted it more.

Brentford were the better team throughout the ninety minutes and fully deserved the win.

Away form

Six away matches in the Premier League against poor teams.

If we want to qualify for the Champions League then we should be looking to win the majority of them.

Instead we’ve had three disappointing 0-0 draws followed by three appalling defeats.

Three points from a potential eighteen is an awful return and we’ve played dreadfully in all six.

This is simply nowhere near good enough and is becoming a real concern.