SHORT on numbers, shy of options and with very little to play for. It is hardly the best way for Newcastle United to finish a season – and it is far from ideal for John Carver in his attempts to remain head coach for the longer term either.

But that is exactly where the Magpies find themselves going in to the final eight matches of the campaign, despite a second half performance against Arsenal which suggested the players could yet land Carver the job beyond this summer.

Saturday was an afternoon when Newcastle’s season was summed up in 90 minutes. After a dreadful start, they did have a spell were they looked good but ultimately pulled up short when the final kick was made.

How Newcastle should be thankful for the nine-match run of games in October-November which heralded seven victories, one defeat and a draw. Without those wins, relegation would be a far greater threat than it is now.

A third defeat from their last four leaves Newcastle seven points shy of the top ten place Mike Ashley, the Tyneside club’s owner, is demanding and there looked little appetite to improve on that among the players in the first half against the Gunners.

With just 13 first team outfield players available, a patched up defence including just one recognised centre-back, Arsenal should have been more than the two goals up secured by Olivier Giroud’s first half double.

Newcastle looked incoherent at the back and incapable of causing the visitors serious problems at the opposite end. They were even booed of the pitch at the break but then Carver’s words inside the dressing room had the desired effect.

Moussa Sissoko, standing in as skipper in the absence of suspended Fabricio Coloccini, pulled Newcastle back in to it three minutes after half-time and suddenly they had exactly the sort of drive and determination the Gallowgate had wanted to see from the start.

At least it lay to rest Phil Neville’s suggestions that the players had their flip-flops out after the woeful showing at Everton in their last outing.

Sissoko said: “It’s what people can say in football because they can say what they want. People can talk a lot about us and any other team. But we know what we have to do and what we want to do.

“We work every day at the training ground with the manager and the players. We want to finish strongly and finish in the top ten ... we will do our best and see where that takes us at the end of the season.”

A top ten spot seems fanciful , even if Newcastle do have a decent enough finish after the games with Sunderland, Liverpool and Tottenham.

A repeat of the first half performance against Arsenal is unlikely to see Carver have a third win to savour since taking over from Alan Pardew. Similarly, though, performances like that which caused the Gunners problems after the break should herald a number of points.

Beginning by preventing a fifth defeat in a row to Sunderland after the international break would be a nice starting point.

Sissoko said: “After the national team week we play Sunderland and that will be a massive game. We lost four against them in a row so now we have to give something to the fans because we know how important it is.

“I came here to play in the big games and I know for Newcastle, the club and its fans, that when you play Sunderland it is a massive game. I want to win this game for my team and the fans as well.”

When Sissoko charged 40 yards with the ball in the early exchanges against Arsenal, Newcastle looked set for a decent afternoon. He played a lovely pass to Ayoze Perez, who cut inside his man before seeing a shot deflect to safety.

But then Arsenal took command. Santi Cazorla, who had already teed up Alexis Sanchez with a wasted chance beforehand, was the creator of both Giroud’s goals.

Cazorla’s free-kick in the 24th minute was flicked on by Danny Welbeck and it hit Giroud’s knee before finding Tim Krul’s bottom left corner.

Four minutes later it was a mistake which proved costly. Mike Williamson was unable to get a grip of Giroud in the penalty area and the Frenchman turned a lovely header inside the far post from Cazorla’s corner.

That took Giroud, a former Newcastle target, to eight goals in six matches against Newcastle and the biggest surprise was that it remained just two-nil until half-time.

But, on the stage where four years ago Newcastle remarkably came from four down at the interval to claim a point against Arsene Wenger’s team, Carver’s teamtalk started a revival and Sissoko led the charge wearing the armband.

It was just a shame that, despite going close with the impressive Perez and Remy Cabella, Newcastle were unable to add to Sissoko’s fine strike from 12 yards following Cabella’s lovely cross after neat link up play with Ryan Taylor down the flank.

Sissoko said: “When you are two-nil down against a big team at half-time it is hard to win the game but the team showed a lot of character and we have something to build on in the next game.

“We have shown the right mentality when we fell behind. Against a big team we have shown we can play like that but we must try to play like that against every team we play.” If they can achieve that, Carver could well be still head coach come August.