In the name of all things sane, all things Newcastle United, what on earth is going on? And what can we expect at Brentford?

United have this crazy, crazy season beaten Arsenal and Chelsea up here in the League Cup, beaten Spurs, drawn with champions Manchester City before they imploded, and now have halted the juggernaut that is Liverpool.

Yet they have lost at home to West Ham and Brighton, lost to Fulham, and failed to beat Crystal Palace, Everton, and Bournemouth.

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I mean if we were talking about a racehorse there would be a stewards' inquiry! I repeat, what is going on? We've witnessed more ups and downs than a fiddler's elbow.

Puzzled Geordies must be wondering if United's big-time performers only stir themselves when playing the London Palladium. When in the glare of the national spotlight. Small theatres don't stir the blood.

I mean what we got on Wednesday night was unrecognisable from what was delivered in our name at Palace just a few days before. Then United managed only a 1-1 draw against a team which was sitting second bottom of the league and failed to have a single shot on target.

Yet fast forward and the Magpies became only the third side out of 21 to prevent Liverpool under Arnie Slot from winning. They had triumphed an astonishing 18 times against teams as good as the champions of England (Man City), Spain (Real Madrid) and Germany (Bayer Leverkusen) but faced by gung-ho Geordies were twice behind at 1-0 and 2-1 and even when they nosed 3-2 up deep into the game they were dealt a sucker punch by a Newcastle side which would simply not accept defeat.

So I will say it again: what will we get at Brentford come Saturday afternoon? Another stirring performance because the Londoners are the in-form home side of the PL and therefore worthy of challenge or another lacklustre performance as at Palace because we play the badge and not the side?

Remember 10 players started against both Palace and Liverpool yet they were unrecognisable. Certainly Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were magnificent, throwbacks to when they were consistently in their strutting pomp whereas their form this campaign has been distinctly patchy. Both goalscorers, both killers of what is currently the best team in Europe. Why the change? Because they were faced with a challenge worthy of a response? Because the world was watching?

In my elation at witnessing a pulsating 3-3 draw when United did themselves and us proud I also felt something akin to anger thinking back to Palace. Same players, different approach, same single point, whole different performance. Jekyll and Hyde.

Leaving St James' Park my head buzzing with contradictory thoughts one leapt out at me. The big differences between us and Liverpool on the night? We haven't got an outside-right and they have Mo Salah who scored two of their goals and created the other. That makes it 15 goals so far and 12 assists for the Egyptian King while the whole Newcastle team has scored only 17 times between them.

So now we come to Brentford, a team of raging bulls at the GTech Community Stadium who once they leave Hounslow turn into pussycats and allow their tummies to be tickled.

On their own patch the busy Bees sting with a vengeance - they are top of the home form table above Liverpool with six wins and a draw in seven fixtures which have rendered an astonishing 22 goals, also the best top flight return.

However heading out into the wide blue yonder Brentford's frightening power dramatically evaporates. They have won none, drawn one and lost six which makes them the second worst of travellers.

Newcastle, for their troubles, are about to be confronted by both faces of their foe within the space of 11 days. It is the home snorters first on Saturday in the PL then the amiable travellers at St James Park for a place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup within a fortnight.

Equally Brentford of course will wonder which we will be this weekend - raging bulls or pussy cats. So do I.

The stats tell their own story regardless of performance midweek. The world famous anthem that booms over the Kop reassures Liverpool's players that "you'll never walk alone" but that is exactly what they are doing in the PL, seven points clear of the rest of the gallopers at the top.

Meanwhile passion, power, and courage against the mighty still only brought Newcastle a single point making it two collected from the last nine as they head to Hounslow and a seat in the pack at No 10. We don't want that to become two points from 12 so we better get our game head on