Thiaw says Newcastle have stayed united after Coventry defeat

Malick Thiaw says Newcastle’s dressing room has stayed together after the defeat at Coventry, with the defender urging his teammates to learn quickly before Aston Villa visit St James’ Park.

“There have been no arguments or heads going down,” Thiaw wrote in a message published on Newcastle’s website. He said the players felt “a big, big disappointment” after Monday night’s result, particularly in the hours immediately after the match, but stressed that the squad needed to analyse what went wrong and take the right lessons.

Thiaw said the players were “all on the same page” this week. With the next game approaching, he added, Newcastle have limited time to adapt the changes they have discussed. He also said the team had to avoid further setbacks like those in its last two away games.

The defender pointed to Newcastle’s leadership group as an important part of the response. He described captain Dan Burn and vice-captain Joelinton as “great leaders”, saying they were demanding and vocal and worked to influence the squad positively. Thiaw added that wearing the armband himself had been a “huge honour” and that he tries to be honest with teammates, uphold standards and make himself available when players need support.

Thiaw also said the coach’s messages were clear and that the squad follows the manager “100 per cent”. He described Newcastle as a young team with quality and potential, while acknowledging that improvement takes time and that performances will not be perfect from the outset.

The message sets out the response Newcastle want to make: learn from the Coventry defeat, stay together and show that unity against Aston Villa. Thiaw called Villa a good opponent, noting that they had a strong previous season and secured a big result this week.

Newcastle host Villa on Saturday, 17 October, at 17:30 BST. Villa sit 16th with five points from six games, according to the canonical report, giving Newcastle a chance to respond at home. Thiaw also asked supporters to make St James’ Park feel “on”, saying the crowd can make the team feel as though it has “one more player” on the field.