Wayne Rooney's performances remind me of Robin van Persie at Manchester United last year - TACKLE KEOWN

It’s not just at Newcastle where bosses seem to be firefighting in the north east. Sunderland seem to have had a succession of hot headed managers with the likes of Gus Poyet, Paolo Di Canio and even Roy Keane a few years back.

Nobody should be surprised by the loss to Man City but listening to Dick Advocaat at the weekend he seemed perplexed after their defeat to Bournemouth. Only on Monday did it sound like he had identified the problem. Now he needs to find the solution.

The situation at the end of last season was tough. Advocaat had kept them up and for the first time in a while it seemed Ellis Short had found a manager who was a bit more stable and consistent in his behaviour. He’s a passionate man but he’s a mature and experienced manager and I’m not sure he was the biggest problem this summer.

I think the major problem for Sunderland was their recruitment. Fabio Borini has been on their shopping list for years but has he really added much this season? And at the back Younes Kaboul is similar to Coloccini at Newcastle – a player with so much experience who is built to be a top player but just keeps making basic mistakes.

The trouble for Advocaat is that now the transfer window is firmly shut and this is the squad he has to work with.

Sunderland and Newcastle seem to be mirroring each other with their problems right now but good coaches and managers would get out of this situation. Let’s see what Advocaat and McClaren can achieve.

When Newcastle drew 0-0 at Old Trafford, I saw some promising signs. It was a Tony Pulis-like performance. They were well organised, were working for each other and had clearly done good work in the week to prepare for the game. From there I expected them to work harder to express themselves and add goalscoring to that solid platform. It has not happened. Results since then have been a disaster.

Steve McClaren is a hugely experienced manager and now he’s got to use that to change things around. Every week Alan Pardew’s reputation grows because of what is happening at Newcastle. With essentially the same kind of players he was able to achieve big things. Now they are going backwards.

I do think this will be a hard start for Newcastle to recover from. Last year they collapsed towards the end of the campaign but they are doing so from the off.

Whenever I went to Newcastle the atmosphere and passion at the club was always awesome. Graeme Souness sounded me out about the possibility of going there towards the end of my career and it was a tempting offer but I was cemented at Arsenal. But it was the kind of club where fans expect you to fight for the cause. It doesn’t look like anybody is fighting to play for Newcastle right now.

Whichever Newcastle side ends up winning a trophy up there will become living legends because they have been starved of success for so long. But I don’t think it’s going to be this group of players.

Aleksandar Mitrovic doesn’t looked like he’s been managed well. He’s clearly got the passion but that needs to be channelled into performances rather than getting sent off. Papiss Cisse is not performing, Moussa Sissoko is flattering to deceive and Georginio Wijnaldum scored on the opening day but we have not seen much since.

And I’d like to see far more from captain Fabricio Coloccini. He has plenty of experience but he still seems to make elementary mistakes In terms of his positioning. He relies on his mobility, strength and instinct but he doesn’t seem to understand where he needs to be on the pitch. At a certain age less is more and he needs to occupy space better.

Next up it’s Chelsea on Saturday and Man City the week after. When it rains it pours in the Premier League.

If Liverpool did decide to replace Brendan Rodgers, who do you think would be a good fit? Dan, via email

Liverpool are not the dominant team of the 1980s. In terms of buying players they have not got the same pulling power or purse strings as the likes of Chelsea and City. So they need a manager who is experienced at bringing in players that other top teams might not necessarily look at and improve them.

People talk about Jurgen Klopp doing that at Borussia Dortmund but in fairness, Rodgers has an excellent record of doing that as well. He has vastly improved Jordan Henderson, he has helped Philippe Coutinho to flourish and he developed Raheem Sterling as well.

It was not that long ago that Liverpool were taking the league by storm under Rodgers but now they lack consistency. They have lost key personnel but that happens to clubs. Southampton have to deal with it most years and they seem to recover. They bring in players who are not necessarily outstanding but they end up doing an outstanding job for their club.

How much longer can Brendan Rodgers keep his job? Liverpool were awful against Carlisle. Steve Kent, Leicester

I don’t like to talk about the chances of people being sacked or not. Brendan is in the job right now and that’s it. But the fact is there is huge pressure on him right now.

There are other managers around who are being mentioned – Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti – and Rodgers knows that this goes with the territory of being Liverpool boss. Now he has to make sure his team do their talking on the pitch and start getting results.

He will just be delighted that they didn’t lose to Carlisle! When Liverpool lost at Stoke at the end of last season you sensed it was going to be a difficult summer. A lot of backroom staff have been lost and from then on Rodgers was going to be under the microscope.

Results have been mixed so far and the performances have not been great. They looked good against Arsenal but I still feel he is experimenting with his team. His position will depend on what targets were set for the season. If the aim was Champions League football then Liverpool look well short of that at the moment. But the club made a big financial commitment to their manager this summer with the players they brought in so unless things take a dramatic turn for the worse he could end up staying.

What impact will Martial’s arrival have on Rooney? Tom Oakes, Lincoln

It’s an interesting one. I can see certain similarities between Wayne’s current appearance and that of Robin van Persie last season. It feels like déjà vu.

Once Sir Alex Ferguson left, Van Persie suffered a dip and last season he looked a far cry from the player he once was. But was he really past his best or was he suffering as a result of the system and instructions from the manager? It could be that the job he was asked to do led to a downturn in performance.

Now it looks like Rooney is being dampened down in the same way that Van Persie was. He has stopped scoring goals and I’m not seeing the same spark in his game. Wayne is always willing to sacrifice himself for the team but there’s not the same satisfaction and I wonder how much he is being affected by United’s system. Martial has scored goals and alleviated some of that pressure but Wayne will want to be scoring goals again, and quickly.

Is Anthony Martial still 'a waste of money'? @himansh97mufc

I don’t think he could have had a much better start to be honest. He seems like a real predator and he is clearly settling in well. We talked about him on Match of the Day and about how ice cool he is. He looks a composed young man and all the ingredients seem to be there. Now United just have to keep his feet on the ground, which is always a nice problem to have.

How do you feel about Arsenal’s so-called fans ripping the signs down at White Hart Lane last night? @Charlie7Russell

I thought that kind of thing had disappeared at football grounds and we don’t want to see it. I do feel those involved have let Arsenal down because to win at the ground of your fiercest rivals is enough. It was a difficult game and they came through it well. There was absolutely no need for that kind of behaviour afterwards.

Do you think after last night Arsenal playing with two combative midfielders it releases the flair players more than the usual formation? @Andrewdear90

I think that’s questionable, to be honest. And a lot of that depends on who those two players are. I think Flamini showed last night that if they are to play two in there he has to be one of them. He showed a level of character and personality that Arsenal needed in Zagreb. He’s been on the outside looking in for a long time and last night he got his chance.

He was a young player when I was there and I was pleased to see him come back because I know he’s got a real drive and determination. Wenger more than anybody knows what’s under the bonnet but last night his performance did not surprise me. That determination to do well manifested itself into two goals and I hope he doesn’t disappear into the background again. He has to be shown he is valued again because he deserves it.

Do you think Oxlade-Chamberlain can keep a starting spot without having defensive workrate? @AfcYoungking10

I would like to see Oxlade-Chamblerain in the game far more than he is. Too often he’s in and out of games. When he’s in the game he’s incredibly eye-catching. He’s quick and decisive in what he does though he can be guilty of overplaying. But sometimes he’s a bit too slow to move back into position afterwards.

In all sports – football, tennis, rugby – you’re always on the move. You can’t just move to hit or pass the ball, you have to move back in position once that’s done. Oxlade-Chamberlain looks happy when he’s got the ball, but out of possession he literally stands still. He’s an intelligent boy but he has to play the game for 90 minutes, in and out of possession and be continually on the move.

The best players in the world right now are all ball carriers – Messi, Ronaldo, Bale, Neymar. Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to do that but it looks like running at players takes a lot out of him. He commits a lot of energy to it but he needs to work on his timing – when is the right moment to go and have an impact on a game. That’s particularly true off the ball. If you get your work done early, you work less and if he can sort his defensive positioning out that will improve him.

But he’s certainly knocking on the door now for selection. When Alexis Sanchez came on last night Arsenal had him buzzing on the left and Ox flying down the right and that’s when Arsenal looked at their most effective in the match.

I’m a big admirer of his game but he has to link those moments of brilliance with a finish or a conclusion. It’s no good if a gymnast pulls off all sorts of tricks but doesn’t land properly. It’s got to end with something and that has to be the same for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

After yesterday’s performance, should Flamini get more opportunities to play? He’s got the passion. @FlamIsTheMan

He was excellent last night. He did all the dirty work well in midfield and really pressed Tottenham hard. His first goal was a good bit of opportunism but he still had to finish it well and his second was a top quality volley.

That showed magnificent technique because it takes a lot to control a shot like that when the ball is dropping from such a height. His goals were something of a surprise because he’s only scored three in the last two seasons combined, so it came as a bit of a shock. But it was an excellent performance and I am surprised he hasn’t been used more often.

He’s not played at all so far this season and hasn’t started a game since February. It makes you wonder whether he is completely trusted at the club but if he keeps performing at the same level of last night then he will have to be involved more often.

Has Diego Costa been harshly treated with a retrospective ban after the game against Arsenal? Dan, Wales

I think it was always on the cards that something was going to happen. Personally, that game was spoiled from an Arsenal point of view because the team can’t get those points back and get that situation back after a refereeing mistake has been made.

It’s interesting that Arsenal used video evidence to get Gabriel off his ban and I’d like to see those pictures. They must show that very little happened between Gabriel and Costa with that kick. Obviously there must have been little to no contact and again that would not show Costa in a good light. But Chelsea almost expected it and tactically they were able to get one of those games out of the way this week.

As for harshness, we enjoy passion and determination in our game but we want football to be played in the right spirit. And the panel who decided to ban him have got plenty of reason to do it. If the incident came from a player with a good record and it was just a flash in the pan then they might have got away with it. But Costa has previous and he plays like this every week.

It almost feels like his ban is an opportunity to clean up the game – people expect consequences and now other players will look at the retrospective punishment dished out and think twice about doing something similar.

Did you see the scratches on Curtis Davies’ face? Diego Costa’s got nothing on that! Simon, Dorset

I did and they were quite shocking. Normally scratches just leave a superficial mark but those ones look like they could last for a while. And it’s the second time in the space of just a few days that we’ve seen players scratching each other.

It’s not a good trend. Scratching is a very deliberate act – you really have to dig your fingers in and that can cause a lot of damage. It was something I never did in my career – I never had any nails anyway!

But it’s not something any football fan wants to see. It’s petty and smacks of children scrapping in the playground, not to mention the potential for serious injury. In rugby, eye-gouging has caused serious damage to players and I’d hate to see anything like that in football.

Hello and welcome to this week's installment of Tackle Keown. Plenty of big issues to get our teeth stuck into today, and Martin will be here to answer your questions in the next five minutes.