Game-changing Matthias Jaissle has injected the famous fight back in Newcastle but cannot keep playing with fire

IT MAY SMELL like Toon spirit but Newcastle cannot keep playing with fire. Jacob Ramsey’s rescue act against Bournemouth kept momentum going for “brave” new Newcastle. Matthias Jaissle remains unbeaten after four games in charge of Newcastle Credit: Reuters There’s still one worrying issue for the German to resolve despite the fine start Credit: Shutterstock But for all the renewed optimism on Tyneside under Matthias Jaissle following a summer of change player-wise, some problems remain. For the second straight game the Mags scored with their only two shots on target. While that tells its own story, the £51m arrival of Matias Fernandez-Pardo could solve that. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Sources indicate the versatile Belgian, the club’s top target to fill the void left by last season’s top scorer Anthony Gordon after his £60.6m move to Barcelona, could be used as No9 with rejuvenated Yoane Wissa behind him. That combo may spark things up top and finally allow them to keep the ball better. But Jaissle has issues further back, and until the fragility of his midfield is sorted, the Toon Army may have to forget about any European adventures. The fact Newcastle have conceded a worrying 74 shots across his first four matches, albeit all ending without defeat, must cause the German concern. Harvey Barnes, whose wonderstrike got his side back into it after going two down to Bournemouth, admitted: “We said it at the end and said it at half-time, you look at the basic stats, like duels, and we were miles down from where we should be.” The process of replacing experienced stars such as Gordon, defender Kieran Trippier and midfielder Sandro Tonali with young guns was always going to require patience. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Most read in Sport And despite months of planning from sporting director Ross Wilson, the unexpected exit of skipper Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park has ensured even more bumps on the rebuild road. Wilson admitted: “Anthony Gordon was always in the plan that he was going to move on. It was pretty clear most of the second part of last season that Sandro Tonali was going to move on. “For Bruno Guimaraes, as well documented, that wasn’t a transfer that we were really comfortable with. Football’s all about reacting to different challenges. That was a new challenge for us, but one hopefully we reacted to as part of our plan. “I don’t think it was so much about changing the strategy, it was just about making sure we had a really clear strategy. “We went into the summer with a clear plan, which we executed almost to its entirety. A couple of things were different that we didn’t expect along the way, but we definitely wanted to be clear in terms of our profiles. “We recruited eight players between the ages of 18 and 24, and that was definitely the plan that we wanted to go in and go forward with.” Nico Gonzalez has been signed as a replacement for departed skipper Bruno Guimaraes Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Yoane Wissa is a man reborn under the new manager at Newcastle Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Two of those replacements, right-back Amar Dedic and midfielder Nico Gonzalez, were rightly lauded after the win at Spurs. Both were shaky against the Cherries. Dedic was caught ball-watching for Bournemouth’s opener and gave it away for the second. Gonzalez could have got him out of jail with the latter, but instead of taking a yellow like Guimaraes would inevitably have done, he allowed Marcus Tavernier to skip clear all to easily. That nasty side, something the Mags were famous for at the height of Howe’s tenure, needs to return. Harvey Barnes, whose wonderstrike got his side back into it after going two down to Bournemouth, admitted: “We said it at the end and said it at half-time, you look at the basic stats, like duels, and we were miles down from where we should be.” But striker Wissa, a flop last term under Howe after his £55m arrival from Brentford, claimed last week that Jaissle was Newcastle’s “best signing” of the summer. And the strapping 38-year-old coach could yet prove all Toon’s doubters wrong by getting them back battling for Europe. The spirit shown to come back on Saturday bodes well for the future. But togetherness only gets you so far. More importantly, Ramsey’s last-ditch leveller was the fourth from a substitute under Jaissle already. So far, his changes have proved game-changing. And that ability to recognise an issue and quickly address it could be the ace up the sleeve. Sporting director Ross Wilson (left) has led the summer squad overhaul Credit: Getty He had been prepared for Eddie Howe’s exit for several months Credit: Getty Wilson said: “We had a very talented coach here in Eddie Howe. Part of your job when you’re a sporting director is to look at a very talented coach and say, ‘This guy might move on at some point, so we’ve got to be ready for that.’ “So we began this process really early in my tenure here to have a clear succession plan for what we might do. We had a clear profile of what we wanted, and when you see Matthias working with us now, you can probably articulate that profile yourself. He definitely meets that word ‘brave’.” And it is not only the new boys the club are trusting to get them back knocking on the door of the top six. Saturday’s hero Ramsey was another to struggle under Howe after joining for £40m from Aston Villa. The 25-year-old has already noticed how Jaissle has injected some of the famous fight back into Newcastle and is ready to fill the void left by Guimaraes and Tonali. Jacob Ramsey came off the bench to rescue Newcastle at the death against Bournemouth Credit: Reuters Matthias Jaissle’s subs have proved to be game-changing so far Credit: Reuters He said: “Compared to last season, we’d probably lose that Bournemouth game, we’d probably equalise, and then they score late on. So that’s a big improvement. “Look at the manager on the touchline, he’s full of energy, full of positive positivity, and that just reflects onto the players, “It’s a new voice. Some lads have been here for quite a while, and obviously Eddie was here for five years and done a really big job. Sometimes it’s good to have a fresh voice, a fresh start for everyone. “If you’re looking from the outside, two big players leaving in my position, it’s time for me to step up now.” Comment now