Newcastle United roundup: unbeaten Hull visit as Magpies look to climb from 12th

Four matches into the new Premier League season, Newcastle United sit in the lower half of the table with a start that has mixed encouraging results with one heavy defeat. Here is the state of play at St. James' Park.

Where Newcastle stand

According to the Premier League table, Newcastle are 12th with five points from four matches — one win, two draws and one defeat — with seven goals scored, eight conceded and a goal difference of -1. Their listed form reads LDWD.

Results so far

Newcastle's early results include:

• a 4-1 defeat away to Leeds United
• a 2-2 draw at home to AFC Bournemouth
• a 2-0 win away to Tottenham Hotspur

The Leeds defeat attracted the bulk of the recent coverage. BBC Sport reported head coach Jaissle's verdict that his side could not match Leeds' physicality, while the broadcaster's player ratings from that game picked out Calvert-Lewin among the star performers and Botman among those to struggle.

The scoring charts

Per Newcastle's scoring data, A. Elanga leads the club's list with two goals, while Bazoumana Touré, H. Barnes, J. Ramsey, J. Willock and Y. Wissa have one apiece — between them accounting for all seven goals credited to Newcastle in the table.

Next up: Hull City at home

Newcastle host Hull City at St. James' Park on Saturday, 19 September, and it is a demanding assignment. According to the Premier League table, Hull arrive fourth with eight points and unbeaten — two wins and two draws from four.

The latest bookmaker odds nevertheless make Newcastle favourites at 1.5, with the draw at 4.55 and Hull at 6.00. In bookmaker-derived terms, those prices imply roughly a 63% chance of a Newcastle win, 21% for the draw and 16% for an away victory. FanTribe's prediction game reflects that same picture: 30 points are on offer for a Newcastle win, 91 for the draw and 120 for a Hull victory.

Then: Coventry away

Newcastle then travel to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Monday, 12 October to face a Coventry City side who prop up the table with four defeats from four and no goals scored, according to the Premier League table.

With Hull in form and Coventry chasing their first point, the next two fixtures will offer a clearer sense of the direction of Newcastle's season.