ST JAMES’ PARK – Forget the frenzy of the opening day or the slick away day execution of Tottenham, this was the best result of the Matthias Jaissle era so far.

Not the best performance, you understand. It was a million miles away from that as new-look Newcastle were dragged into deep waters by bogey side Bournemouth, who delivered an uncomfortable reminder of just how much hard work there remains to do on Tyneside.

But faced with a contest that was heading down a cul-de-sac, it was Jaissle’s decisive action from the bench that helped salvage a precious point. If game-management was a problem at St James’ Park last season, Newcastle now appear to have a manager capable of inspiring a difference with some bold substitutions.

He made five of them here, continuing a trend over the first four games of the season of his changes markedly improving Newcastle – but boy they had to suffer before things got better.

An hour in Newcastle were nowhere in the game when Jacob Ramsey came on for Lewis Miley, a shadow of the player who had been so impressive in the first two Premier League games. New boy Matias Fernandez-Pardo, whose pace was apparent from the outset, also arrived.

Those changes didn’t pay immediate dividends so Jaissle kept going. Nico Gonzalez was hooked for teenager Sean Steur – another brave switch – and then Jacob Murphy arrived. When Ramsey scored his late leveller it was reward for the Newcastle boss rolling the dice. It felt significant.

“A strong statement” was what Jaissle called his team’s unbeaten start to the season afterwards. But he delivered a crucial caveat that there will be “ups and downs” with his young side. There was a mention – not heard since his introductory press conference four weeks ago – of the team being in a transition phase.

And that is right. Tyneside has perhaps got a little bit carried away by the momentum whipped up in the last few days of the transfer window, when Newcastle arguably did their best business. But they have spent heavily for the future and it is also worth pointing out that two of their biggest signings – Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Touré – didn’t even get off the bench as they struggled to cope with Bournemouth here.

There has been so much personnel change at Newcastle that a lot is going to rest on the manager. So far he looks like he can handle it.

Jaissle is an effervescent, energetic presence on the touchline, sparky enough to pick up the first yellow card of his Newcastle career for straying out of his technical area. You suspect there will be a few more for a manager who looks in good enough nick to be playing for his team, never mind managing it.

But authority and presence when you’re winning is one thing. Retaining clarity of mind when your team has been punched in the nose is quite another – and Jaissle ticked that box here, even with compatriot Marco Rose becoming the first manager to find a way to match Newcastle’s “vertical football” philosophy.

The Bournemouth boss found a way of picking off Newcastle’s new style and it made for a painful watch for a sell-out St James’ Park. Penned into their own half for long spells in the first 45 minutes, Newcastle shipped two poor goals. Marcus Tavernier notched the first – benefiting from slack defending – and the second was a calamity from Malick Thiaw, who did not have one of his better afternoons.

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Harvey Barnes restored hope but it felt like a mirage. Newcastle were too open and wrestling back control proved beyond them. Instead they relied on Bournemouth tiring – again – and Ramsey’s late opportunism.

It felt like a reminder that this is very much a work-in-progress. The stats make for difficult reading: 61 shots have been conceded across three Premier League games and that is, to put it bluntly, unsustainable. They will have to tighten up and quickly.

But perhaps that is a good thing. No one will be getting carried away but Jaissle looks like the right pick to guide this project.