Newcastle United

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Tony: It was a scrappy game but we defended well and fought hard for a well-deserved win. With a bit more finesse and better decision-making we could have won by more.

Richard: It was the best performance of the season - a really hard-fought win. We seemed to want the second ball more than recent games and those fine margins made the difference.

Hayling: Some fans have criticised Lewis Dunk this season, but he was immense - at least three superb tackles when he was left as the last man and he handled Nick Woltemede better than Jan Paul van Hecke. Just a shame we couldn't keep the clean sheet against a side who hadn't scored away from home before Saturday.

Newcastle fans

Sean: Fed up of poor performances at Brighton - the same every season. Toothless once again in attack. Anthony Elanga just hasn't got going. Showed much more attacking intent with Jacob Murphy's directness in the second half. Defensive solidity seems to be the base for us this season, yet both goals were poor to concede. Need a good reaction at St James' Park on Tuesday before a kinder run of league fixtures.

Paul: A really poor performance. Misplaced passes, losing multiple 50/50s. All across the park we didn't seem ourselves and, despite a lot of effort, we just were way below the levels needed.

John: Whatever the reason, the performance seemed adversely affected by the international break. Bruno Guimaraes missed a couple of good chances to score. Joelinton was lethargic and made mistakes so Eddie Howe removed him at half-time. Anthony Gordon had none of his England sparkle and Elanga hardly contributed. Woltemade was the exception, but when three or four other key players are off form, the Premier League is a very tough league.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have emerged as favourites to sign 21-year-old Ecuadorian defender Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge. (Caught Offside), external

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

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• Manchester City 2-0 Everton

• Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

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Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

What is it about this place?

Newcastle have not won at the Amex since 2017, when both sides were in the Championship, and the manner of this defeat will certainly hurt.

Having rediscovered some momentum before the international break, following back-to-back wins against Nottingham Forest and Union Saint-Gilloise, Eddie Howe opted to name an unchanged side for the third game in a row.

But it was rather telling that the Newcastle head coach made a double change at the break as he hauled off the leggy Joelinton and the misfiring Anthony Elanga and threw on Lewis Miley and Jacob Murphy.

However, having managed to find a way back into the game through Nick Woltemade's brilliance, Newcastle conspired to lose it.

Howe's side have now failed to win any of their opening four away league games this season, scoring just once.

With trips to West Ham, Brentford and Everton to come next month, that record has to improve. Sooner rather than later.

• Listen to BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck and John Anderson reaction to Newcastle's defeat at Brighton

Eddie Howe spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Newcastle's defeat against Brighton: "We are disappointed with the first half performance really. We faded and the last half hour was hard to watch. Brighton scored in that period. We were pleased to get in at 1-0 and regroup.

On his midfield: "They are brilliant players but they didn't function well today but I don't think the team did.

"When we conceded the second goal, we were the dominant team. We responded really well in the second half. They didn't have many attacks in that spell but they did go and score.

On Nick Woltemade: "There is a level of expectation there because we're signing a very good player. There's a lot to take on with a new league and a new lifestyle but he's taken that on very well."

Goalscorer Woltemade spoke to PLP after Saturday's defeat: "It's not good. First half, we didn't do good. The second half was good energy in the game. We scored one goal and it felt like we would win but they played good and scored. That's football sometimes. The second half was way better than the first.

"I really like to play here. I get balls; the players are looking for me. The gaffer trusts me.

"In the second half, we had good chances but we lost them in the first half. We didn't have good energy. It's part of football when the ball doesn't want to go in, but it's important we keep working on that.

"Before the national break, we had a good week and today you can see that we can get the game on our side in away games. We will keep working and win games away."

• Listen to Howe's post-match interview with BBC Radio Newcastle on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you learn from Newcastle's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Brighton make one change as Georginio Rutter comes in for the injured Brajan Gruda.

Diego Gomez is fit to start after shaking off a muscle issue as Brighton look to maintain their impressive home record against Newcastle.

Fabian Hurzeler's side have never lost versus the visitors in the Premier League at the Amex.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu, Ayari, Gomez, Baleba, Minteh, Welbeck, Georginio

Subs: Steele, Tzimas, Watson, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, De Cuyper, Coppola, Oriola

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has named an unchanged side after Joelinton was passed fit to start against Brighton.

Joelinton returned from international Brazil with a slight groin issue, but the midfielder lines up from the off at the Amex.

Howe has stuck with the same XI who defeated Nottingham Forest and Union Saint-Gilloise before the international break.

Newcastle XI: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon

Subs: Ramsdale, Schar, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Murphy, Willock, Ramsey, Miley

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Newcastle

• Burnley v Leeds United

• Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

• Man City v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

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I was impressed by Newcastle when I watched them against Nottingham Forest. Their midfield is so powerful, and they have got good options out wide.

I don't think they will start firing properly up front until Yoane Wissa is fit to help Nick Woltemade but, defensively, they look pretty solid and that has been backed up by their results on the road.

Newcastle have drawn all three of their away games in the league this season, without scoring or conceding.

The goals will come, but I don't see them as having enough to beat a Brighton team who always look dangerous even when they are not playing that well.

The Seagulls have drawn two out of three at home so far, so I guess this has got a draw written all over it too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Comeback kings Brighton take on a Newcastle side with more Premier League clean sheets than anyone else this season. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's match.

Jan Paul van Hecke's late equaliser salvaged a point for Brighton away at Wolves in their last game, maintaining the Seagulls' formidable record of coming from behind under Fabian Hurzeler.

Since the German's appointment in June 2024, Albion have gained 30 points from losing positions, at least four more than any other Premier League side.

Hurzeler called the display at Molineux "a good performance but not a great performance", adding "we can play better football but are not machines".

There is certainly room for improvement at the back. Brighton are one of only three teams still awaiting a first Premier League clean sheet of the season and have shut out the opposition just once in their past 19 top-flight games.

They do have an excellent record at home to Newcastle, having avoided defeat in all eight of their Premier League home matches against the Magpies. However, given the visitors' strong defensive record, Albion will be keen to avoid playing catch-up again this weekend.

Miserly Magpies a tough nut to crack

The international break arguably came at the wrong time for Newcastle, who registered back-to-back wins for the first time this season by beating Union Saint-Gilloise and Nottingham Forest, scoring a total of six unanswered goals in those victories.

Goalscoring has been an issue for the Magpies, with only Forest and Wolves netting fewer so far in the Premier League. However, summer signing Nick Woltemade has made a strong start to life on Tyneside, scoring in each of the past three games, easing concerns about the impact of losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool.

Woltemade, 23, maintained that momentum by scoring his first senior international goal in Germany's win against Northern Ireland on Monday.

At the other end of the pitch, Newcastle have proved a tough nut to crack, keeping five clean sheets in seven Premier League matches. That is the joint-highest total in the top five European leagues, matching Lyon's total in Ligue 1.

It is all the more impressive given Eddie Howe has had to contend with several injuries to his rearguard. Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are not expected back until next month at the earliest, while Fabian Schar also missed time before returning as an unused substitute against Forest.

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The towering Nick Woltemade looks like a typical battering ram.

The forward has scored half of his goals for Newcastle with his head and he even opened his account for Germany after getting on the end of a corner against Northern Ireland on Monday.

But appearances can be deceptive.

Woltemade's team-mates at Newcastle have quickly realised they can give the frontman the ball and he can keep hold of it under pressure, wriggle away from his marker or play a pass that brings others into the game.

According to football stats database FBref, he has received 108 passes for Newcastle - which illustrates the trust of those around him, as well as his ability to hold on to possession.

The technical forward also boasts one of the top five pass completion percentages (82.6%) at the club.

As well as being a focal point, Woltemade can drop deep and link play, feeding rapid wingers such as Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga, and the majority (71) of his 132 touches have been in the middle third of the pitch rather than the final third.

Former team-mate Luca Durholtz said "this striker profile doesn't really exist" elsewhere while friend Jorik Wulff, similarly, added that "most teams do not have a player type like him" after rising through the ranks with Woltemade at Werder Bremen.

"He doesn't move like a striker who's two metres tall," Wulff said. "He wants the ball at his feet and tries to dribble and go past defenders, so he's not the typical player you expect when you see him.

"Because he's so tall, most defenders think he's just strong in the air, but his technical ability is very good for a player of his size. That makes him special."

Read the full article here

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Howe did not need reminding.

"I've been going through them!" the Newcastle United head coach laughed after Ross Wilson became the club's third sporting director in four years.

But the mood music feels different this time.

When Wilson's predecessor, Paul Mitchell, arrived in the summer of 2024, Howe warned there was no point saying he was "happy staying at Newcastle if the dynamic isn't right".

The head coach was soon defending his recruitment record after Mitchell claimed the club's processes had not been "fit for purpose".

However, on Friday morning, Howe repeatedly said he was "really happy" following the arrival of Wilson and CEO David Hopkinson.

"We have got a strong group of people that are very ambitious and determined to take everything forward," he said. "All I ever ask for is support and help.

"It's a challenging job and you just need support and help to take the leaps forward that we need. Every other club are so progressive – and we need to be the same. We have got a good chance of delivering that now."

Wilson will be responsible for helping to plot the club's medium to long-term strategy as well as development and recruitment across the men's, women's and academy teams.

It will fall to the Scot, for example, to take the lead on player contracts, with Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar among those who are entering the final months of their deals.

Wilson has already met department heads as well as players and staff – but it is a little early for transfer summits just yet.

"I think I'll let him sit down first in his new surroundings before bombarding him with that," Howe said.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Howe confirmed that every player has returned from the international break OK. There was a "little concern" around Joelinton, but he seems to be OK.

• Elsewhere in the squad, Yoane Wissa is back training on the grass for the first time but the timeline of his return has not changed. Jacob Ramsay has trained well and Howe expects him to be in the squad on Saturday.

• Lewis Hall had a second scan on his injury, which Howe described as "positive" and he is expected to return to action before the November international break.

• On newly appointed sporting director Ross Wilson: "The first impressions of him and his work have been very good. He is a really good person and has fitted in really well so far. I am sure he can make a huge difference."

• Howe was asked about his level of involvement in the appointment, to which he said he was neither "totally away" or "heavily involved".

• On Saturday's opponents: "It is a team that we always have tough games against; they are well managed and coached and have some very good players in their squad. I thought we played well at their place last year, one of our better away performances, and that point ended up being so valuable for us."

• Howe isn't aware of any contract talks with players like Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Sven Botman, adding that the club were waiting for Ross Wilson's arrival as he will lead talks.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Ex-Newcastle defender Steve Howey says his former club have a decision to make over Yoane Wissa's participation at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The Congolese striker is yet to make his debut for the Magpies since signing in the summer for £55m from Brentford.

He did however play two games for his country during the September international window, suffering a knee injury that seems set to keep him out until next month.

Congo's first game at Afcon is on Tuesday, 23 December.

"He will have a rough idea of what he wants to do but situations change," Howey told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It could be that he gets a few games under his belt and he might just decide he wants to stay here and do some extra training."

Boss Eddie Howe will likely be asked for an update on Wissa's fitness in his news conference on Friday morning.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is certain to feature on a long list of summer transfer targets for Newcastle, who are keen to bring the 22-year-old England international back to the north east. (Mail - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The transfer window may be shut, but Newcastle United made a significant addition last week in the form of sporting director Ross Wilson, who arrived from Nottingham Forest.

The club had been operating without such a crucial figure since Paul Mitchell's departure back in June.

Mitchell's exit was the latest chapter in a period of boardroom upheaval stretching back 18 months.

Former owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi moved on; Dan Ashworth, who was Mitchell's predecessor, left to take up a role at Manchester United; and chief executive officer (CEO) Darren Eales had to step down after being diagnosed with chronic form of blood cancer.

However, just a few weeks after David Hopkinson's arrival as CEO, Wilson has followed.

It felt instructive that the Scot spoke about how the "trust, cohesion and alignment we're building already feels strong" in his opening remarks.

Following so much change, upstairs, Newcastle need a period of stability as Wilson helps plot the club's medium to long-term strategy.

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Did the international break come at a bad time for Newcastle United?

The Magpies had rediscovered some momentum after recording back-to-back wins for the first time since April.

Eddie Howe's side had previously struggled to find the back of the net, but defeated Nottingham Forest and Union Saint-Gilloise by an aggregate scoreline of 6-0 before a host of key players jetted off to represent their countries.

That being said, this has been a productive period for a number of the club's senior internationals.

Anthony Gordon impressed for England, Bruno Guimaraes grabbed a couple of eye-catching assists for Brazil and Nick Woltemade opened his account for Germany.

The challenge faced by the trio, and others, is to quickly recover and take such form into Saturday's trip to Brighton.

This has long been an awkward fixture for Newcastle, who have never won at the Amex in the Premier League in eight visits.

The visitors cannot afford a sluggish start if they are to get something from the south coast.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon believes he will need to perform at club level as well as for England if he is to secure his place in Thomas Tuchel's squad for next summer's World Cup.

Gordon opened the scoring in Riga on Tuesday, as England confirmed their qualification by hitting five goals past Latvia.

"My last three performances have been my best for England," Gordon told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "But I can't rest on that, I still feel like I can do more.

"I could have scored two goals in this match and got an assist or two, so if I want to be an elite, world-level winger then I've got more to do.

"I'm not scared of competition at all - it pushes me to be better. It's more something that I cherish."

Gordon is aware that being picked for the travelling squad is one thing, but securing a starting XI spot will be another - with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka providing competition in that area of the pitch.

When asked what it would mean to represent England at the World Cup, Gordon replied: "Everything. Every young lad in England dreams of playing in the World Cup, so there's not many words you can use to describe that feeling.

"The hard work starts back at club level. I'm not lost on the competition or the fact that being successful in the qualifiers means I'm going to end up playing. That's definitely not the case.

"I need to go back to Newcastle, perform and get into the next camp."

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