86x possession lost: "Shocking" NUFC liability is risking his SJP career under Howe - opinion

After failing to win any of their first 14 Premier League games of the season, Newcastle United are having to spend the remainder of the campaign fighting for every possible point to get them away from the relegation zone.

One player at St. James’ Park that is arguably to blame for the Toon being in the situation that they’ve found themselves in, particularly from a defensive point of view having conceded 44 goals in 23 games, is defender Ciaran Clark.

Since joining the Tyneside club from Aston Villa back in the 2016 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £5m, the Irishman has made a total of 129 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions in which he has managed to score 11 goals and provide four assists along the way.

Despite his occasional prowess in front of goal, the 32-year-old has been a real liability for Eddie Howe’s side at the back in this current campaign.

In 13 league appearances this season, Clark has racked up an overall performance rating of 6.24, making him the lowest-rated outfield player in Howe’s squad to have started more than one league game according to WhoScored.

This shows just how disappointing he’s been for the Magpies and why he is partly to blame for the team’s poor start to the season.

Having been criticised earlier this season by Jamie Carragher for his “shocking” defending, or, more specifically, his lack of defending during Newcastle’s 4-0 defeat at home against Manchester City, Clark also let his side down by getting himself sent off in the early stages of their 1-1 draw against Norwich City.

In addition to that, the veteran has also given possession away 6.6 times per game on average this season, totalling 86 times across just 13 matches, showing just how