Three Points: Listless Defeat At Fulham

Yes, Newcastle is still playing. And while matches still "count," we're still doing recaps, even if they are a couple days late. Here's my take on Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage.

Dodgy keeper?  Though Tim Krul has come up with some special moments this season, especially his double saves against Spurs in November and Hull earlier this month, they've masked a fairly disappointing campaign. On Saturday, the game's only goal came via a decent shot from Ashkan Dejagah, but one that really should have been saved by a quality Premier League keeper. Just like Dejagah's 68th-minute effort, Krul's chances of starting for the Netherlands at the World Cup this summer seem to be rocketing away from him. 

Toothless up front: Loïc Rémy's calf injury meant Newcastle would likely struggle to create chances against Fulham, and that certainly proved to be the case. Luuk de Jong and Papiss Cissé didn't appear to click the way de Jong and Rémy did against Hull, though neither was exactly being given great service. And on the rare opportunities that the ball fell to either striker in a promising area, the resulting shots proved to be rather tame. Even Cissé's best chance to score only came about because de Jong shanked his own effort at goal.

While it means nothing in the context of this season, Newcastle's play without Rémy has to be a serious warning sign going into the 2014-15 campaign. Though de Jong has been a decent support striker, he doesn't look like he'll be much of a goal threat even if he's back next year. Yoan Gouffran is far and away the club's best non-Rémy scoring option at this point, and neither Alan Pardew nor John Carver has shown any inclination to give him an extended chance at striker.

Finally, the kids: With nothing to lose, Newcastle should be playing some of its top reserves over the next few weeks. Paul Dummett and Sammy Ameobi have gotten a little time of late, and Saturday saw Adam Armstrong make his Premier League debut. Seven minutes of game time wasn't nearly enough for a proper assessment of Armstrong, but hopefully it will be the first in a string of Premier League chances for the 17-year-old between now and mid-May. If nothing else, playing the kids will put a bit of positive energy into a fanbase that's currently oscillating between irritated and apathetic.