ANYONE connected with Newcastle should take a long, hard look at the Premier League table and realise the mess they are in.
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| Aleksandar Mitrovic missed a great chance for Newcastle before Everton snatched victory at the death |
There is a thin dividing line between self-belief and blind optimism and right now, Steve McClaren and his players are on the wrong side of it.
"We're not worried but this position is obviously not good," said Moussa Sissoko after Tom Cleverley's last-gasp header had deservedly bagged the points for Everton.
"If you look at the last four games, you can see we are a good team. We have to keep going now and hopefully if we do that, our fortunes will turn."
McClaren himself was equally optimistic, saying: "It is about performance because if we carry on like that, we will win games and collect points."
Reality, however, is very different from this black and white world however. Teams who think they are "too good to go down" tend to be relegated. Just ask their 2008 predecessors.
Newcastle head to West Brom on Monday afternoon, with Ian Toney on standby for Aleksandar Mitrovic should the striker fail a fitness test on his ankle problem, before a trip to Arsenal at the weekend. Lose both and they will find themselves in as big a mess as neighbours Sunderland.
Yes they battled valiantly, arguably had the two best chances of the game and defeat came in the most heartbreaking fashion when a punch from the outstanding Rob Elliot was headed in by Cleverley to open his Everton account with virtually the last touch of a rousing contest.
But for the opening 20 minutes, Newcastle had been chasing shadows and even though Mitrovic missed the sort of chance he was bought to convert in his sleep, Everton always looked the more likely winners.
If there was a sense of rough justice in the Toon camp, Cleverley claimed fortune had been deserting Everton lately as well.
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| Tom Cleverley celebrates with the Everton bench after his stoppage time winner at Newcastle |
"Over the last four games, we've deserved better results - probably three wins," the midfielder said. "It's all about results and we've managed to get one that hopefully can be the turning point.
"Christmas and January is a really good time to hit form. The draws have been frustrating but we've not lost too much confidence because of the way we've been playing.
"We've been exciting and are creating chances so it wasn't too worrying, although we weren't picking up too many wins. Hopefully, one will be a catapult into Monday's game against Stoke and the New Year."
So in the Newcastle corner, it was all about "performance" while for Everton, the watchword was "result". There's a message there somewhere.
Everton have performed like a top-six side for most of the campaign without collecting the points to back up their displays. At least they closed the deal here, although that coincided with the end of Romelu Lukaku's bid to equal Jamie Vardy's record of scoring in 11 games in a row.
"I am sure he is disappointed because he is a perfectionist who wants to score in every game," said manager Roberto Martinez. "But his reaction to Tom Cleverley's goal tells you everything. He was one of the happiest players on the pitch."
NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1): Elliott 8; Janmaat 5, Mbemba 8, Coloccini 5, Dummett 5; Anita 7, Colback 5; Sissoko 6, Perez 6 (Thauvin 87), Wijnaldum 6; Mitrovic 5. Booked: Janmaat, Colback. NEXT UP: West Brom (a), PL, Monday.
EVERTON: (4-1-4-1): Howard 6; Coleman 7, Stones 7, Mori 6, Baines 7; Barry 8; Lennon 6 (Deulofeu 69, 5), Barkley 8 (Besic 69, 5), Cleverley 7, Mirallas 6 (Osman 87); Lukaku 7. Booked: Barry, Barkley. Goal: Cleverley 90. NEXT UP: Stoke (h), PL, Monday.
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).
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