A 7-0 drubbing has left Newcastle Jets coach Phil Stubbins with a lot of work to do, and he admitted he was starting to question how the Jets go forward.
He looked drained as he faced the media after the game, and a little shell-shocked, as were his players.
“We spoke before the game about a good aggressive start, but it was Adelaide who scored first and set the pattern,” Stubbins said.
“Credit Adelaide, they were a wonderful product today, we got smashed from the start to the finish. It could have been worse.
“We had a couple of chances but nothing that remotely were positives from the game, we were clearly second best from start to finish.
“My mind’s full with a lot of things swirling around, it’s not a nice feeling, but it’s just what it is.”
Stubbins seemed stunned with the performance and recognised the Jets need to improve in a lot of areas after this game.
He had never been on the end of a 7-0 drubbing, which, even after the game, he was struggling to come to terms with.
“Only four weeks ago we beat them (Adelaide 2-1),” Stubbins added.
“We weren’t ourselves tonight. We lacked leadership, and any genuine desire. We need to improve, a lot of things.
“I won’t pick on individuals, it was a collective thing. It certainly wasn’t a happy camp after the game.”
Although Stubbins admits it is worrying the way his charges lost the game, he is confident they can turn it around.
“There are certainly questions to be asked and we’ll have to have some discussions about how we are going to take the club forward,” he said.
“The level of Adelaide tonight, they were just at a different level, there is no getting away from that.
“If we want to be a genuine threat, we have to improve in a lot of areas. Also we need an injection of players.
“With some of our errors, we weren’t up to the level of the A League.”
While Stubbins struggled to come to terms with the Jets performance, he was full of praise for Adelaide.
“If Adelaide don’t get close to winning it this season, they will be disappointed,” he said.
Newcastle have a fortnight to lick their wounds and get back on the horse, with a home game against Brisbane Roar at Hunter Stadium on February 6.
