Newcastle United need 'a new Beardsley or Gazza' as flaws uncovered in West Ham loss

The truth is Newcastle United are what they are - a mid-table Premier League team of restrictions. It increasingly looks like seventh last season was sadly not a fluke but a reality check.

A demoralising 2-0 home defeat to West Ham _ hardly football royalty _ confirmed a harsh truth. We are not clever enough, not blessed with liberal splashes of flair and inspiration, to belong automatically in the Champions League top four. Our life currently is confined to a trampoline existence _ the up and down of inconsistency.

When faced by a quality side which will attack us _ like Arsenal or the old Manchester City _ then United will rise to the occasion roared on by 50,000 Geordies to counter attack with pace and pressure to great effect. However when opposed by lesser mortals who are then given the extra encouragement of a goal lead so they can sit in and invite Newcastle to be creative enough to break them down then we are in big trouble. Cue the Hammers hammering us.

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What United no longer have is a Peter Beardsley, a crafty operator who can unpick locks and invite burglary.They can select from a midfield squad bursting with big names _ Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Joe Willock backed by Sandro Tonali and Sean Longstaff _ but none possess the sheer craft and vision that in one decimating movement can turn the mundane into a work of art.

Where is the new Beardsley? Gazza? Terry Hibbitt or Tony Green for the older enthusiasts? Nor for that matter do United have enough power across the front three to blow the hat off a bystander if Alexander Isak is being well marked or on an off day.

The harsh truth like it or not _ and I don't like it _ is that the worst thing that happened to Newcastle United in their rise under new ownership was in the blink of an eye finishing fourth thus gaining Champions League qualification as well as making a Wembley final in a domestic cup. That quickly raised expectations sky high above reality, and backed by untold wealth not initially restricted much by financial fair play, the world looked an inviting playground. Yet what we hoped would be ours in return for blind faith and unwavering loyalty in vast numbers has remained tantalisingly out of our grasp.

What we have in reality is a situation of slow unsteady progress and not the surge of power many hoped for after Mike Ashley's brutal life of existence. Miracles take a little longer and don't we know it.

Defeat to West Ham on home soil left a bitter taste. How can a team so good at Nottingham Forest be so bad in the next game with only one change in personnel? It really was frightening yet with hindsight all too predictable these yo-yo days.

United's blue chip players simply never left the traps....every single one of them bar Isak were substituted. Willock at half-time, Anthony Gordon on 68 minutes, Joelinton 68 minutes, and Bruno 84 minutes.

What can we expect now? A poor display at Crystal Palace on Saturday because they are poor (second bottom with only one victory in a dozen matches) and a gritty display against Liverpool on Wednesday of next week because they are good (only one defeat and top by eight points)? That is the trend we are being asked to accept.

As I've said, it is becoming increasingly obvious we are what we are. Five wins, three draws, and four defeats in 12 outings is not the record of a team bursting a gut to make Europe but a team 10th in a 20-club league.