ST JAMES’ PARK – Forget the frenzy of the opening day or the slick away day execution of Tottenham, this was the best result of the Matthias Jaissle era so far.
Not the best performance, you understand. It was a million miles away from that as new-look Newcastle were dragged into deep waters by bogey side Bournemouth, who delivered an uncomfortable reminder of just how much hard work there remains to do on Tyneside.
But faced with a contest that was heading down a cul-de-sac, it was Jaissle’s decisive action from the bench that helped salvage a precious point. If game-management was a problem at St James’ Park last season, Newcastle now appear to have a manager capable of inspiring a difference with some bold substitutions.
He made five of them here, continuing a trend over the first four games of the season of his changes markedly improving Newcastle – but boy they had to suffer before things got better.
An hour in Newcastle were nowhere in the game when Jacob Ramsey came on for Lewis Miley, a shadow of the player who had been so impressive in the first two Premier League games. New boy Matias Fernandez-Pardo, whose pace was apparent from the outset, also arrived.
