With the international break upon us, it is time for manager, players and fans alike to sit down and take stock of what has gone well, what has gone wrong, and where things could improve.
For Newcastle, and Steve Bruce, it has been an up and down start, and undoubtedly things could have gone better.
But that does not mean everything has been a disaster, and we are analysing and grading the club, players and manager on their season so far.
We start by looking at record signing Joelinton, who arrived from Hoffenheim for £40 million, and is the latest striker to adorn the famous number nine shirt, and try to do it justice like some of his predecessors.
Time to start finding the net regularly
Joelinton has managed to get his first goal for Newcastle, and what a huge one it was, with him scoring the winner against Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Now he has got that out of the way, it is time for him to start showing he can do it on a consistent basis.
He has shown he has the ability to, and as he gets more and more used to the pace and rigours of English football, he can grow into the role, and become the goal-scorer fans crave.
But over the opening weeks, the signs are promising, and although he still looks a raw talent at times, there are signs for optimism for supporters.
His work outside the box is excellent
In the early weeks, Joelinton has been somewhat isolated at times, with him often ploughing a lone furrow up front, as Miguel Almiron drops off slightly in search of the ball.
There is little doubt that the Brazilian striker would benefit from having a proper strike partner, who he can lay the ball off to, and flick it on to.
Almiron is not that player, and should not be expected to be, as he looks better aligned to a free role behind a front two.
As a result, Joelinton has had to hold the ball up and wait for players to come towards him, and in this area, he has done exceptionally well.
He has shown he has the strength and ability to hold defenders at bay, and find a man having done so, with a pass success rate of 87 per cent across his opening four league games.
Aerial game needs improvement
Having great ability with his feet, and strength to hold the ball up, one area that looks like it needs work on, is his aerial game.
Through the first four games, Joelinton has had just 10.5 aerial duels, winning just 3.3 of them, according to whoscored.com, which needs to improve.
He is a tall lad at 6ft 1in, and needs to utilise that height to be successful in the Premier League.
Of course, where some aspects of the game just occur naturally, such as pace, aerial ability is something that can be worked on, and improved over time.
Verdict
Steve Bruce should be looking at tapes from the games, and identifying how to extract the best from his big-money forward.
It is vital to Newcastle’s success this season, that they score goals, and that responsibility mainly lies with Joelinton.
If they can improve his heading game, and get him to be more clinical in front of goal, there is no reason why he cannot get well into double figures for goals this season.
A definite work in progress, but the early signs are encouraging.
Overall Grade: C+
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