Newcastle look like a club that are happy just to survive these days, their appetite to actually win something disappeared long ago
SO Newcastle United have to do it all again in an unwanted replay at Ewood Park after a day when multiple team changes backfired on Rafa Benitez.
Not since 2006 have United made it beyond the fourth round of this competition with their record in the third round abysmal during the Mike Ashley era.
Despite producing 19 goal attempts against the Championship outfit, the Magpies fluffed their lines in front of an expectant crowd and by the end they were lucky to stay in the competition, thanks to Matt Ritchie’s late penalty.
There’s no doubt about it, Saturday night wasn’t the fun experience fans had in mind as they trooped up to St James’ hoping for a bit of cup cheer.
Some supporters had been handed tickets for this game as Christmas presents but unfortunately this is one gift they won’t be able to take back and swap for something in the January sales.
However, the performance against Rovers in the FA Cup wasn’t a one-off or a bad day in the office for the black-and-whites, it was more of the same from what is turning into a poor season.
This hasn’t happened overnight. Newcastle have won just FOUR games out of 23 matches in all competitions this season and things have never seemed right since Benitez read the riot act on a scorching night in Braga in pre-season.
As another botched summer transfer window started to come to a close Benitez made it clear that a tough season was in the pipeline and he’s been right.
Of course, Benitez has to take responsibility for team selection and tactics after such a bad run of results, but the players also have to look at themselves too.
Fans certainly didn’t have a problem with youngsters like Freddie Woodman, Jamie Sterry and Sean Longstaff getting their chance and the inclusion of Florian Lejeune after five months on the sidelines with a knee injury was also welcomed.
But it was the senior players that were handed a chance to show what they could offer and flopped against a Blackburn team that were plying their trade in the third flight last season and are lying 15th in the Championship table this time around.
On a day like this surely Jacob Murphy, Kenedy, Joselu and Isaac Hayden should be streets ahead of their EFL counterparts?
Yet they were outplayed and outfought by Tony Mowbray’s second division battlers on the day.
Hayden was all over the place and left debutant Longstaff having to drop back and cover his position
before Benitez decided to haul him off before the hour.
Murphy looked nervous. Kenedy strolled around without making an impact and Joselu could have played until midnight and not troubled Rovers’ goalkeeper and his fellow countryman David Raya.
Although nobody managed to find a way past Raya from open play, and after Bradley Dack had set up the prospect of a sweet away win for Blackburn, it was down to Ritchie to keep his nerve and force an equaliser. On a day when there were very few shocks in the FA Cup you have to say that few pundits would have classed a win for Mowbray’s side as a surprise.
Even the Blackburn players left St James’ Park feeling disappointed after taking just a draw, and Mowbray admitted the dressing room was “quiet” after his team reflected on a missed opportunity.
It’s hard to expect any type of dramatic turnaround from Newcastle in the replay either.
With the game sandwiched between Premier League matches at Chelsea and at home to Cardiff, the latter fixture in the must-win category, Benitez could field an even weaker side at Ewood Park.
The attendance on Saturday was low compared to a Premier League game but almost 33,000 Geordies turned up praying for a positive result in the cup.
For a club that celebrates its FA Cup tradition behind the scenes with big portraits of the team that dominated the competition in the 1950s, this was a meek acceptance that the current crop are nowhere near good enough to progress in the competition.
You do wonder what some of the cup greats like Wor Jackie would make of Saturday’s abysmal efforts?
Even the club’s Fairs Cup triumph is approaching 50 years this year.
Newcastle look like a club that are happy to just survive these days their appetite to actually win something disappeared a long time ago.