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Manager Eddie Howe said Newcastle United are still adapting to life without Alexander Isak following the striker’s transfer to Liverpool and called for patience as his new-look attack struggles to click into gear.
Newcastle’s goalless draw at Bournemouth on Sunday was their third consecutive 0-0 Premier League draw away from home and extended their winless run on the road this season.
While Howe was pleased with a third straight clean sheet in the league, they have scored only three goals in five games and are 13th with just six points.
“It’s three 0-0s away from home for us, which is really uncommon with our attacking style,” Howe told reporters. “I think just naturally we’re going to be a different team attacking-wise this year without Alex.
“I’m hopeful we’re evolving to a different team, hopefully a better team, but it may take a bit of time.”
Newcastle are looking to club-record signing Nick Woltemade to spearhead their attack following Isak’s departure to the Premier League champions in a record-breaking deal, and Howe said there is more to come from the German.
“I thought Nick played really well today,” Howe added. “I thought he was very effective with his footwork and his link play.
“But we just need to know and get used to him and his style more and get more runners off him because he’s very good in that respect.”
Newcastle next host English third-tier side Bradford City in the League Cup second round on Wednesday.

RIYADH: Horseracing resumes at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh next month after the new season schedule was revealed by the Jockey Club of ������Ƶ, culminating with the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14, 2026.

The new campaign gets underway on Oct. 16 and is the first of 50 meetings for thoroughbred and purebred Arabian horses, which for the first time will end with The Saudi Cup meeting.

The change in schedule is to accommodate Ramadan, which falls around Feb. 28, 2026

The seventh running of The Saudi Cup coincides with a significant moment for ������Ƶ as the 41st Asian Racing Conference, titled “Honouring Tradition — Shaping The Future”, takes place in the country from Feb. 9 and closes at The Saudi Cup.

The season finale gets underway on Feb. 13 and features the popular International Jockeys’ Challenge, The Sarawat and Tuwaiq Cups and builds to the $1.5m Group 1 Al Mneefah Cup for purebred Arabians held over 2,100m on the turf course.

Nine races will be held the following day as The Saudi Cup enters its seventh year with the G2 Neom Turf Cup, G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the Red Sea Turf Handicap offering a host of opportunities on turf and on dirt for the world’s best equine athletes.

Before that, the new Riyadh season begins next month and will be staged in its familiar format with 12-race cards taking place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The most significant meeting outside the season finale is the Saudi Cup trials weekend on Jan. 16-17, which features The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup and King Abdulaziz Cup.

American challenger Rattle N Roll landed The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for trainer, Kenny McPeek and jockey Joel Rosario to qualify for The Saudi Cup in 2025, and the winner of the Group 3 next January will also guarantee themselves a starting position in the world’s richest race.

Qualifiers for The Neom Turf Cup, 1351 Turf Sprint, Red Sea Turf Handicap, Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the G1 Obaiyah Classic and G1 Al-Mneefah Cup will also be held over those two days.

Other significant events on the calendar are the Royal Cups on Dec. 26-27, featuring three domestic G1 races — the 1,600m King Fahad Cup for juveniles, the 1,800m King Khaled Cup for three-year-olds and the King Saud Cup over 2,000m for older horses.

Another domestic G1 will be staged on Dec. 5 with The Crown Prince Cup for local bred horses over 2,400m, alongside the Listed Crown Prince Cup.

Both races carry a purse of SR1 million ($266,000) and feature some of the best Saudi-trained horses, with the latter race last won by the French entry Wootton’sun, who went on to finish third to Rattle N Roll and take his chance in The Saudi Cup itself.