Only half an hour in, Eddie Howe already cut on the sidelines a forlorn man, scratching and shaking his head, unable to take in what was unfolding before him.
It has been a terrible night for Eddie Howe ‘s team. They weren’t tossing the towel in and under the conditions that they deserved credit for it, but their confidence is shot to pieces.
His side was still 2-0 down and things weren’t getting any better. For Bournemouth, this was another of those gloomy days.
One that could have left Howe again hoping he could restart Project Restart after a third straight loss since the resumption.
It looks like Bournemouth ‘s five-year Premier League stay is coming to a close. They were thrashed by an amazing Newcastle who scored some beautiful goals and should have won by more.
Another in which the questions about Bournemouth’s chances of saving themselves only increased when they plunged to the second bottom below Aston Villa.
The lack of top scorer Callum Wilson, who was already struggling for goals, left them understandably looking even more toothless.
They shot themselves in the foot at the back to compound that, showing nothing like the kind of defensive resilience needed in their precarious position, or compensating for their bluntness in the attack.
Howe could only gaze with envy at his opposite number, Steve Bruce.
Newcastle was no-nonsense on the back before a late blip was quickly forgiven and impressive in possession.
And for the first time this season, they scored four in the league, three of their clinically-taken quartet created by the brilliant Allan Saint-Maximin, to gain a victory that took them to 42 points and two off the top 10.
Amid the takeover talk that continues to rumble and fuelled speculation about his future, Bruce said: ‘This is probably our season’s best results.”
