“Internal questions are being asked” but Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle is not yet at risk of being sacked by the Magpies hierarchy, according to reports.

The Magpies started off the season in positive fashion with a win at Tottenham sandwiched in between two draws against Liverpool and Bournemouth, while also progressing past West Brom and Millwall in the League Cup.

However, Newcastle have now won just one of their last four Premier League matches, slipping down to 11th in the table after seven matches.

Some fans are already questioning Jaissle, who took over from long-term head coach Eddie Howe in the summer, but The Athletic‘s Chris Waugh insists that the former Red Bull Salzburg boss is not yet facing the sack at St James Park.

When asked in a Q&A how long the Newcastle board can afford to give Jaissle, Waugh answered: “There is no doubt relegation would be a disaster, but I don’t think we’re at that stage. I understand the growing anxiety following three defeats in four and the struggles in and out of possession, but I’m yet to sense panic emerging from inside Newcastle.

“That does not mean the hierarchy is blind to the clear shortcomings. Internal questions are being asked, and the insistence has been that under this executive structure there will be accountability and the challenging of one another if things are not going well.

“Newcastle have maintained that they always expected a bumpy season and those in charge have been adamant they will not be swayed by fan opinion (there were boos at full time on Saturday, though my view is they were conflated with feelings towards the officials and general frustration, rather than necessarily being aimed at the head coach specifically).

“Undoubtedly, Jaissle deserves time. He has been in charge for less than three months and inherited a squad which lost its four best players and is short of match-winners and ingenuity. The resources at his disposal are limited and so he requires mitigation, particularly considering he is a rookie in Premier League managerial terms.

“However, that does not mean Jaissle gets a free pass and there needs to be a more discernible on-ball strategy, beyond long balls forward, and he has to demonstrate he can make his side harder to play against. So much of the unease appears to arise from the fear that Jaissle either does not actually see this as being the profound issue it is, or he has simply been unable to address it.

“The hierarchy spent €10million (£8.4m, $11.2m) to get Jaissle from Al Ahli and have lauded his credentials and potential. In many ways, they need this appointment to work and, if it doesn’t, then questions over their decision-making will arise. Eddie Howe left them in a difficult position by resigning when he did, but the club could have made a call to change head coach sooner and other candidates would have been available then.

“For now, there is no indication Jaissle’s job is under threat — and nor should there be, given the period of transition. But results ultimately dictate a head coach’s fate and he definitely needs some positive results and performances to provide affirmation of the faith that has been shown in him.”

‘Sources close to Jaissle bristle at suggestions he is another Ruben Amorim’

In another report from The i Paper, it is claimed that senior Newcastle players are ‘100% committed’ to Jaissle’s principles and tactics after the Magpies boss held talks.

The report explained: ‘Indeed it’s understood Jaissle will not abandon his principles in the face of the first signs of trouble – especially after frequently highlighting to the young group the benefits of playing that way – but he has sought counsel from senior players about the system and how they play their parts in it. The answers that came back were that the team were “100% committed” to the principles – including playing four at the back, a high press and intensity.

‘Sources close to Jaissle bristle at suggestions he is another Ruben Amorim, who paid the price for being too wed to one system. They stress he is prepared to tweak things and there’s in-built “flexibility” in his tactical set-up. Continued communication with the players – which is already a noticeable part of his strategy – will be a key thread of his approach moving forward and there is some mitigation for what’s happened in recent weeks.’