NEWCASTLE 1 BOURNEMOUTH 3

PRIOR to Saturday, Bournemouth’s last visit to St James’ Park, for an FA Cup tie in January 1992, had to be rearranged because the original game was abandoned due to thick fog. Unfortunately, it was all too easy to see what was unfolding at the weekend.

Faced with one of their few remaining relegation rivals, at an absolutely pivotal stage of the campaign, Newcastle were outclassed from start to finish. There was no fight, no spirit, no spark of creative vision. As a result, it is hard not to conclude there is also no hope when it comes to avoiding relegation.

Perhaps the appointment of a new head coach would help, but this is a squad devoid of talent and belief, and changing the identity of the man in charge will do little to address the deep-rooted failings that have seen the Magpies win just nine of their 47 league games since the start of 2015.

Steve McClaren has undoubtedly contributed to the current malaise, but Newcastle’s problems go much deeper than the man in the dug-out.

That said, however, McClaren’s failure to elicit any kind of performance from a group of players who must have been fully aware of the wider significance of Saturday’s game speaks volumes for the extent to which his leadership has been found wanting.

Around 90 minutes before kick-off, the players issued a statement, which is understood to have involved PR guru Keith Bishop, in which they spelled out their backing for McClaren. The 90-minute statement they then delivered on the pitch said something entirely different.

“Can we get out of this situation? Not if we keep playing like that,” said McClaren. “That’s being brutally honest – that’s not good enough. I’m as frustrated and angry as the next person, and as the supporters who were watching that. That’s been the frustration of the team all season – you get good spells, you get bad spells - but today was poor.”

It certainly was, with Newcastle’s lack of energy, movement and desire standing in marked contrast to the performance of a Bournemouth team that is much greater than the sum of its parts. That the same cannot be said of the Magpies has been obvious all season.

The misguided decision to name Emmanuel Riviere in the starting line-up despite the Frenchman having played just 18 minutes of Premier League football since the start of the campaign rapidly unravelled. Riviere, who looked completely off the pace, was replaced at half-time.

Ayoze Perez, who has been in and out of the team on a regular basis under McClaren, looked rusty, while both Georginio Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko failed to offer anything in the final third. As a result, it took Newcastle until the 64th minute to record a shot on target, and even that came from full-back Daryl Janmaat, whose desire to break forward stood in marked contrast to the approach of most of his team-mates.

Newcastle were already behind at that stage, with Steven Taylor having diverted Josh King’s first-half cross past a helpless Rob Elliot.

King doubled Bournemouth’s lead with 20 minutes left, lashing home after Matt Ritchie’s through ball exposed a gaping hole at the heart of the Newcastle defence, and while Perez clawed a goal back as he raced on to Jonjo Shelvey’s pass, a comeback never looked likely.

The Magpies’ misery was compounded in stoppage time as Charlie Daniels lashed home the powerful strike that effectively seals Bournemouth’s survival.