'Newcastle are flat and boring' – Jamie Carragher warns Magpies face tough Premier League season after Everton defeat

Jamie Carragher described Newcastle as flat and boring following their defeat to Everton on Monday Night Football and reckons Matthias Jaissle's side faces a difficult season.

Thierno Barry's second-half goal earned Everton a 1-0 win at St James' Park and their first away victory in the Premier League this season, as Newcastle were booed off at half-time and full-time following their fourth defeat in five games across all competitions.

Newcastle have slipped to 13th and are now four points above the bottom three, with a trip to lowly Fulham to come on Saturday.

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"I think it is going to be a tough season for them," said Sky Sports' Carragher. "I felt tonight [Monday] was actually more important for Newcastle than the cup game [Carabao Cup loss at Everton last week], and it was the other way round for Everton, who are desperate for a trophy.

"But I fear a little bit for Newcastle, I think it could be a long, tough season."

Jaissle was appointed in August, replacing Eddie Howe, and made a promising start by earning entertaining draws against Liverpool and Bournemouth, with a win at Tottenham sandwiched in between, but that has quickly faded as their home form has continued to be an issue.

No Premier League side has lost more home games in 2026 than Newcastle (7) and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 14 games at St James' Park, the longest run in their league history.

Carragher added: "Watching them of late, especially at home, it feels flat and a little bit boring, and that was one thing I didn't think I'd ever be describing Jaissle's Newcastle as.

"You think of the system he's come from, the Red Bull model, how they like to play. At times, those types of teams and managers can leave themselves open at the back, but it's front-footed, it's aggressive, it's getting the crowd involved, and we've just never seen any of that at all tonight. I'm a little bit flummoxed watching it.

"I was really impressed with him, how he came across. They were very impressive at Spurs, a great result for them early on, and the results in the main have been okay, but I think there's always been a worry about the performances and their underlying numbers, even early on.

"I watched Fulham at Villa over the weekend, they were really good, and that'll be a tough game, and you look at some of the games they've got coming.

"I think it's going to be a tough season for Newcastle. They've got a lot of young players, they've got a young manager in there. The crowd are expecting a lot more."

Jaissle: Our plan didn't work - I understand boos

Jaissle opted for a different approach from their defeat against Everton four days earlier, but his tactical changes failed to pay off, with Newcastle not managing a shot on target until the 85th minute.

"Unfortunately we couldn't deliver our style of play across the whole 90 minutes," Jaissle told Sky Sports.

"That's something we are frustrated about. We had a different approach. It looked so good during the week, I have to say the lads were committed to what we were doing and today we can just look back and wonder why we couldn't bring it on the pitch. If you can't deliver when it counts, you don't deserve to win.

"We were not brave enough in possession. Too many long balls. We did not use our double six in possession where I think we were quite good against Everton a couple days ago. Then it was more of a wide game, back and forth, collecting second balls. That's something that we wanted to avoid to be more dominant.

"It feels at the moment that there's not too much confidence. Not only with the young lads, but also with the more experienced ones. We have to overcome that as a unit. It is expected when you are in transition. Only together we can come out of it.

"After a performance like that, I can understand that [fans booing]. That's a reality and I am responsible for that. We need to work again and again on the things we need to improve. After today, that's a lot."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: 'Newcastle are flat and boring' – Jamie Carragher warns Magpies face tough Premier League season after Everton defeat