But despite Saturday’s bad display and result it is understood boss Steve McClaren’s job is not under immediate threat.
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Townsend, who arrived from Tottenham last month in a deal worth 12 million pounds, scored his first goal since finding the net for England in April 2015 as Newcastle crashed to a 5-1 defeat at Chelsea.
And there have been calls for McClaren to be sacked in the wake of his team’s abject performance at Stamford Bridge.
It would appear that McClaren is safe for now, but another defeat against Stoke City when they return to action on March 2, could be the final nail in his coffin.
And McClaren’s future now seemingly rests on the work he does – and the response of his players – between now and the club’s visit to the Britannia Stadium.
He said: ‘It’s a million dollar question, it’s why McClaren gets paid a lot of money but Charlie Austin was it for me and he went to Southampton for £4m.
“We also had a couple more chances which we didn’t take, but we are very happy because of the result and we hope to continue like this”.
“They didn’t – they gave the ball away too many times, and then it’s hard to recover back into shape”.
“We have to look at our away form at the present moment, it’s inconsistent”.
“We’ve tried like mad to arrange a game in this country, but we’ve been unable to do that”.
Third-bottom Newcastle are level on points with 17th-placed Norwich City and a point ahead of Sunderland.
Newcastle manager Steve McClaren has hinted that first-team regulars could be dropped from his side in the coming weeks, as he seeks out a different style of play away from home following the weekend hammering by Chelsea.
The club’s leading scorer has performed better at St Jame’s Park this season, with all his nine goals having come on home turf.
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‘With the restraints he puts on the manager, I would not have thought so. We’re giving 110 per cent. I think the more important result was the six-pointer against West Brom.
