Howe makes his feelings apparent

EDDIE Howe did not read the riot act to his players after the 4-1 loss at Arsenal but by the same token they were told in no uncertain terms that some aspects of their display was deemed unacceptable.

The head coach referenced the lack of reaction to Arsenal’s power-packed start to the game and had hoped United would “weather the storm” only for the Gunners to keep coming at his team after establishing a 2-0 lead.

The area of the game that Howe was happy with was between minutes 45 and 60, only for Newcastle to crumble again and find themselves 4-0 down against a team that had played in Europe only in midweek.

Tellingly, as the players who had not been involved emerged for the warm-down their expressions were somewhat shocked compared to the more jovial reactions to previous weeks.

Perhaps Howe had made his point in his debrief and each and every player knows that beating Blackburn is the only remedy to a defensive horror show.

Only on Friday, Howe had spoken about Lewis Hall’s impending transfer at United and that the left-sided player was “close” to completing a move to Newcastle. The criteria to make Hall’s move a permanent deal is believed to be based around appearances in a match day squad and United’s final league position, to finish in or around the top 10.

Chelsea, who loaned Hall back in the summer, are resigned to him leaving the club on a £30million deal and have already started preparing for the next wave of youngsters. Howe has stated that Hall still has things to learn defensively but he has not used the 19-year-old since the 3-2 defeat against Man City.

Even with the game gone against Arsenal and a host of players getting minutes, including skipper Jamaal Lascelles and freshly benched Dan Burn, Howe did not see an opportunity for Hall.

The player’s slow walk back to the tunnel after Newcastle players had ventured towards their fans to show appreciation said a lot.

Hall walked back alone and must be wondering when his next chance will come under Howe.

Martin Dubravka a did not travel to Arsenal due to an “illness” according to Howe with Loris Karius stepping in between the posts.

Whether Dubravka is back for the clash at Rovers remains to be seen but either way, Howe will have a tight call to make after a decent showing from Karius.