Premier League manager blast his side as 'not a top team' as he flags worrying trend

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was left frustrated after another late loss at St James' Park as he slammed his team's inability to find their top gear on a weekly basis

Eddie Howe has claimed his Newcastle team are not showing "signs of a top team" as he bemoaned their inconsistency following their loss to Everton at St James' Park.

The Magpies were beaten in a five-goal thriller on their own patch with Thierno Barry scoring a late winner - just one minute after Newcastle had levelled. It leaves Howe's side in the bottom half with their European hopes fading away.

Newcastle remain in the Champions League, readying for a knockout clash with Barcelona, but they've been unable to win consistently in the Premier League. They've downed the likes of Manchester City, but equally been beaten by West Ham, Brentford and Brighton.

Howe has regularly seen his team rise to the big occasion, winning the Carabao Cup final last season, but he admits getting up when it matters is not the trait of an elite side.

He said: "We can raise our game when we need to. I don't think that's a sign of a top team, though. We have to be at that level all the time. The Premier League is so tough. The games are so difficult regardless of who you play or where you play. If you are off, you are going to get punished."

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"In relation to the Premier League, our form has not been good enough for a while," Howe added. "We know that. We take responsibility for that. It's been really frustrating for us - and that's the perils of Europe, I'm afraid. We have tried to be laser-focused on every game and give every attention to every game with the same importance but, with the deluge of games, your focus can be swayed."

Only weeks ago Brentford came to St James' Park and left with three points following a five-goal contest. On that occasion Newcastle levelled late on and went in search of a winner, only to get hit by a sucker punch when Dango Ouattara scored for the visitors. It left Howe admitting in the aftermath of the Everton loss: "I have a similar feeling.

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Newcastle are 12 points off the top five, which means there are likely to miss out on the Champions League. It has been a frustrating trend that has seen Howe's side qualify for Europe's elite competition every other year during his tenure, which has hampered their ability to invest in their squad.

The Magpies twice came from behind with Jacob Murphy scoring their second equaliser. He said: "There's always a time and place for stern words and now we take a breather. Let's all reflect, look back. First and foremost, we know where mistakes happened and we've got to go forward and try and iron them out. We can't get hyper-emotional every time something doesn't go our way. It will just cause panic and that's something we try to stay away from."

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