"We are in a difficult position but it is a small step forward in terms of confidence and showing the team can compete.

"In terms of work rate and team spirit I can't complain. The fans realise it's a difficult situation and they got behind the team.

"I think we have to consider the circumstances, going away from home at the bottom of the table, getting a clean sheet and a point.

"They pushed hard in the second half so we did well to keep our clean sheet. A bit of better possession at times would've led to clearer chances, but it was difficult."

On Rondon:

"It is good to have another striker and more competition, but his match fitness needs to improve by playing games. He was training with the fitness coach.

"Now in the last couple of weeks he has been more involved with the team. He is a little far away from his condition but he is another option and that’s quite positive.

On Muto:

"Muto worked hard as well. We needed hard work from the strikers and we needed pace.

"Then we had to make substitutions to have fresh legs.

"I am happy with Muto. He has to learn about English football especially when challenging in the air. But he is working hard and I am happy with him.”

On threatened supporter protests:

"I think it is important for us to have the fans behind us. Some people think it is more pressure playing in front of them, but it is a difficult situation and be united: that’s what we have to do. 

"We can help the atmosphere in the city by winning games. We have to try that. In the meantime, we need the fans going to the stadium supporting the team for 90 minutes. 

"If we make mistakes, we make mistakes. I will be the first one to make mistakes. We have to keep supporting the team.

"If we want to stay in the Premier League - like we proved last year - we are stronger all together.”

Miserable Mark Hughes said: 

"It's disappointing once again in respect of not getting what we deserved, we had 22 shots and we weren't able to convert any of them.

"At the end of the day it's back-to-back clean sheets, but at the top end of the pitch we need to start scoring goals.

"Clearly we are creating chances, right at the death we had a good chance for Shane, there were balls bobbling around the box, but sometimes you need something to go in off someone's backside and the football gods aren't smiling on us at the moment.

"Newcastle came here for a point: every time we tried to press they were looking to knock balls behind us and trying to turn us round. We had to keep starting over. 

"We stopped them on the halfway line and broke from high positions. It was a clean sheet and defensively we look more solid. We need to start scoring goals.

It is two games back to back that defensively we have been rock solid. At the top end of the pitch we need to make more of the chances we are creating, in moments we need a killer edge to our play.”
 

Positives from Saturday's 646 mile round trip to Hampshire:

Newcastle's first league clean sheet at Southampton in 49 years combined with results elsewhere saw them elevated one place from 20th to 19th.

A fifth away game of the season saw the Magpies earn their third away clean sheet, the first time that they've done that in 24 seasons of Premier League involvement.

Three clean sheets on the road is one more than we managed in the whole of 2017/18 and equal to that achieved in the entire 2015/16 season. 

Following a three game absence when they failed to collect a point, main striker Salomon Rondon's return from injury came earlier than expected and coincided with a third draw in the opening ten league games.

With ten games played, just eight points separate the bottom eight sides in the Premier League.

More negatively though:

This was a pitiful excuse for a football match, with two awful sides woefully out of form - and the Saints now failing to score a single league goal in 475 minutes.  

However, the only reason Mark Hughes wasn't able to celebrate his side's first home win since April and only the second one of 2018 was Martin Dubravka.

The visiting goalkeeper (and a post) made various vital stops to keep his goal intact, but by contrast, opposite number Alex McCarthy had almost nothing to do as the visitors were unable to get any shots on target.

Southampton pressed for a late winner and used their four striking options but for once, veteran Shane Long managed not to rain on our parade.

Our graveyard slot on Match of the Day was once again assured, although transmission just before the test card may have been more fitting for what was footballing equivalent of the twilight zone for Toon devotees.

The sole solace after stomaching this grim fare is the realisation that several sides other than ourselves are almost equally as inept - although our scoring issues mean the comparatively low goal difference is being achieved partly to the impotency of other sides.

With Rondon returning for the closing stages - albeit lacking match fitness - a sequence of three home games out of the next four provides an opportunity of finally registering a first win of the season.

Mike Ashley saw today's desperate display first-hand - a fifth consecutive helping of this tripe which if nothing else gives him evidence of the malformed, malfunctioning squad assembled on his terms.

It's anything but a given though whether he'll reprise the mid-season transfer spend that 20 points from 19 games and 15th place prompted in 2013.

And even if he does, who makes the decision on which player to buy and how those transfers are conducted remains a large imponderable. 

To our minds, deals need to be struck now for instant inclusion in the team that faces Manchester United on January 2nd - not Spurs a month later.

The late desperation that brought the futile loan arrivals of Seydou Doumbia and Islam Slimani in previous January windows is certainly no blueprint for success.  

Back to the here and now and the defensive strength shown on the road needs to be replicated at Gallowgate if we're to halt an unprecedented run of home defeats. 

At the other end, refocusing on exactly how to "win ugly" is sadly overdue, namely our continued failure to make absolutely anything of corners and free kicks. Our most useful set piece this season has been a throw in.

Desperate times then, but not quite the end of the world. Yet.
 
Biffa