Defensive failings once again undid Newcastle as their three game Premier League winning run at the Gtech Stadium deservedly ended in defeat on Saturday.

Extreme weather conditions caused disruption across the country, but while United were blown off course by a busy Bees side with the best home record in the division, some alarming lapses made that victory far too easy.

Both defences were battered in an opening 45 minutes when Brentford twice went ahead but were almost immediately pegged back by Magpie equalisers.  

But while Thomas Frank's side tightened up after the break, United were unable to batten down the hatches and shipped another two goals in even more shambolic style.

Toon transfer target Bryan Mbeumo shot his current employers ahead via a deflection after just eight minutes, maintaining their record of scoring early goals this season. Within three minutes, though they had also conceded as is often the case; Alexander Isak notching his third goal in as many visits here after diving to head home Jacob Murphy's right wing centre.

Isak then had a golden opportunity to put his side ahead after racing to meet Fabian Schar's through ball, but after evading Mark Flekken he hesitated to shoot as defenders reached the goal line and the goalkeeper claimed it.  

Brentford regained the lead just before the half hour when Yoane Wissa beat Nick Pope from a similar position to his team mate after a rick by Harvey Barnes surrendered possession in a dangerous area.

Preferred on the left to the benched Anthony Gordon, Barnes took just four minutes to atone for his error - turning in the box and shooting home for 2-2 after Murphy contributed another assist.

Again the visitors came close to going ahead for the first time in the game, Barnes making a great run down the left on 37 minutes and finding Murphy at the back post. Sadly his header only found the roof of the net.

All square at the break, it was the home side who assumed control of proceedings - abetted by our ongoing sloppiness in and out of possession - both full backs succumbing to the temptation of pushing into the gaps left ahead of them and leaving gaps behind them that were exploited.

An early warning when Pope deflected an effort onto the goal frame wasn't heeded and Flekken's free kick from the halfway line was somehow allowed to bounce in the area before Nathan Collins casually whacked it home. 

The arrival of Gordon, Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Sandro Tonali did nothing to suggest that our third equaliser of the afternoon would follow, although Tonali should have scored with a late header. 

As was the case against West Ham and Palace, we were inferior after making changes and further goals at the other end looked more likely as we managed to neither defend effectively or usefully commit bodies into attacking positions. Almiron seemed to think we were kicking the opposite way.

More inept defending allowed substitute Kevin Schade to waltz through and add Brentford's fourth before only Dan Burn's goal-line block after Pope went wandering way out of his area prevented further punishment. 

We may have traded blows in a manic first half, but at no time did we ever exert any control on proceedings - or look like preventing the Bees from doing just that.

Scoring twice masked a multitude of sins committed the players today; if there's any saving grace it's that other sides have perished equally in this part of West London so far this season.

After what even by our standards what has been a schizophrenic eight days, it is an impossible task to predict just which Newcastle United will turn up this season. 

The Magpies may have scored six goals (and conceded eight) amid moments of controversy and delight in just over a week, but today was more spills than thrills. Thomas Frank called his team "crazy good" after this game - we're just crazy.

What isn't a matter of opinion though is the statistic that reads no wins in last four games and just two in the eleven most recent Premier League outings.

Three years into the "project", today was a reflection of our status. We remain what we always have been: routinely haphazard, occasionally inspired but without evidence of any real solid progression.

Successive transfer windows failed to boost anything more than the headcount, while a solitary Academy graduate in a 20 player squad today ignores the imminent return of Jamie Miley, but is only partly as a consequence of PSR-enforced sales. 

None of that represents a genuine basis to start planning for a new mega stadium in our eyes. 

"Build it and they will come" may have some resonance if the admission prices are realistic for the region, but what the assembled masses will see on the pitch is more than open to question. 

An inability to challenge towards the top end of the table leaves us in familiar territory of hoping for some elusive cup glory; Brentford of course are the next obstacle to achieving that, in a tie that assumes ever greater importance in our eyes. The manager may also feel the same.

Biffa