Matthias Jaissle pre-Aston Villa: Plenty to build on fr...

We make no excuses for what happened on Monday and this week has been about quickly putting the feeling of disappointment behind us, learning from it, and putting all of our energy into focusing on where we need to improve and specifically what we need to do this evening against Aston Villa.

A huge thank you to the fans who travelled down to Coventry on Monday – your support was fantastic as always and it only added to our pain that you returned home disappointed.

We controlled a lot of the game on Monday and we created some good chances, but ultimately we didn’t do enough and made it too easy for the opposition in front of our goal. We are all well aware that the Premier League is a punishing league, regardless of whether you are playing a newly-promoted team or a team that plays in Europe every season.

I’m confident that we are still on the right track and, overall, I believe there is a lot we can feel encouraged by and plenty to build on from my first two months at the club. We have a young squad going through a period of transition and adaptation, so it is inevitable that we will experience ups and downs this season.

The important thing is that we stick together during those downs and use those moments positively to learn from and grow.

A major positive for us is the number of players returning from injury following the international break, especially experienced players like Dan Burn and Joelinton, who are two key leaders in our squad. Not only do they bring quality and increase our options on the pitch, they know the demands of the league and what it takes to be successful for Newcastle United.

That can be hugely beneficial for our younger players, especially during difficult periods. While we still need to manage their minutes carefully, it was great to welcome them back into the squad on Monday.

We face another good test this evening. Aston Villa have done very well in recent seasons and have shown themselves to be capable of regularly competing for European football. In order to get a result, we know we will need to return to the levels we’ve already shown in games this season, especially at St. James’ Park.

With your support behind us, we know that anything is possible.

Howay the lads!

Matthias Jaissle.

Make sure to pick up your copy of the official matchday programme, UNITED, this weekend, featuring: