With a dark winter of Premier League survival lying in wait, all the Newcastle United supporters wanted was something to which they could cling. After failing to win an FA Cup tie for the fourth successive season, it was little wonder that the 2,800 visiting fans snapped and vented their anger.
Nobody escaped the abuse with the players, manager and owner all under fire, as the 47-year wait for honours continues.
Fabricio Coloccini, the Newcastle captain, accepted that the success-starved fans deserved much more.
Watford celebrate taking the lead
“It’s normal because the fans have to express,” he said. “They give everything for this club and they want results. They are unhappy and they have to know we keep trying and working hard to get those results.
“We have had some nasty results but we all want to win and turn this around. We understand them and we are working to improve things for them and for the club.”
The painful irony here was that their club did not to downgrade the competition. It made no difference as McClaren – just like predecessors Chris Hughton, Alan Pardew and John Carver – also fell at the first hurdle.
A much-changed Watford showed their hand but still ran out winners, albeit fortunate ones, after Troy Deeney seized on Georginio Wijnaldum’s 44th-minute gift.
Deeney rounds the goalkeeper to score
Newcastle showed just why they had notscored in more than six hours and Coloccini said: “We are disappointed because we have been thinking from the beginning of the season about this cup and now we are out of it. The FA Cup was a big deal for us. But we are also not in a good position in the Premier League and now the most important thing is to stay there. We have to focus on that now.”
With Manchester United up on Tuesday, do not expect a St James’ Park goal glut. But following four 1-0 defeats in a row, McClaren’s task is to get those same disgruntled fans back on side.
“It’s a lonely place in the dressing room when we lose and you’re getting a bit of stick,” he said. “We need 50,000 fans right behind this team because we’ll need that support. I can’t ask any more of those players. If the effort, the football, the discipline weren’t there and we weren’t creating chances I’d be worried.”
Watford certainly have less to worry about. They rested top-scorer Odion Ighalo, handed their fringe players a rare outing and still progressed. Midfielder Adlène Guedioura, who has barely featured all season, hopes that his eye-catching performance has given Quique Sánchez Flores a nudge. “I hope I’ve given the boss something to think about in terms of selection for Southampton on Wednesday,” he said. “The team has done great since the beginning of the season and we have taken our lead from the manager. I understand that you don’t change a winning team.”
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