Howe's Newcastle in freefall as Sunderland's unlikely double heaps on the misery

Eddie Howe's reign at Newcastle United is looking decidedly shaky after Sunderland completed a remarkable double over the Magpies, with Brian Brobbey adding the dagger on Sunday afternoon at St James' Park.

It's been an utterly dreadful week for Newcastle, but then again, the entire campaign has been one long disappointment. This latest setback, however, feels like the final straw for a club and manager spiralling towards crisis point.

The narrative here is almost absurd when you consider the circumstances. Sunderland, freshly promoted after eight years away from the Premier League—a period that saw them plumb the depths of League One—have now managed what Newcastle's Saudi-backed riches should have made impossible: the double over their local rivals. More remarkably still, the Black Cats have now strung together an 11-game unbeaten run in Tyne-Wear derbies at the top level, with Newcastle's last victory over them dating back to 2011.

The December encounter already felt humiliating enough. Sunderland won 1-0 that day in a performance that flattered Newcastle. Yet here we are in March, and the Magpies have managed to lose again, this time with Sunderland missing key personnel like Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, and Dan Ballard.

Newcastle actually started with purpose. Anthony Gordon's opener after just ten minutes arrived courtesy of a Luke O'Nien howler, and the home side should have pressed their advantage. On paper, they possessed the superior squad—Champions League quarter-finalists against newly-promoted opposition. Except football isn't contested on paper, is it? Sunderland simply wanted it more, and when Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi turned the game around, it exposed something rather uncomfortable about Newcastle's current state.

The summer transfer business tells its own damning story. Alexander Isak departed, and Newcastle responded by spending over £120 million on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. Woltemade, supposedly the focal point of the attack, has been shunted into midfield and rendered ineffective. Wissa? He barely featured, coming on only after William Osula in injury time. This wasn't just poor recruitment; it was a blueprint for mediocrity.

Yet Howe can't simply hide behind transfer committee failures. He's spent £255 million on new arrivals—only Chelsea and a record-breaking Liverpool outspent Newcastle. That budget should have delivered far better than what's unfolded.

The statistics paint a grim picture. Newcastle sit 12th in the table with seven games remaining. They've recorded more defeats (13) than wins (12). Their goal difference is negative. They were humiliated out of Europe following a 7-2 second-leg defeat—not aggregate, but a single leg. Both domestic cup competitions have already been surrendered. Europa League qualification now represents the season's best-case scenario.

Howe has invested enormous effort into this project, and his previous achievements—the Carabao Cup win and two Champions League qualifications—carry genuine weight. But elite sport doesn't operate on sentiment or past glories. It's unforgiving, and his repeated failures to arrest this decline have left him exposed.

This week's collapse, culminating in a derby defeat to a team that shouldn't be able to compete with Newcastle's resources, represents the true low point. The argument for change is now overwhelming. Sacking the manager would admittedly write off a season that's essentially already been discarded, but his position has become unsustainable. Sometimes ruthlessness is the only answer.