Eddie Howe conceded he is not performing up to his own high standards after Newcastle United went down 3-2 to Brentford.

The Magpies suffered their third defeat in four home matches, with Dango Ouattara's 85th-minute strike following a swift counter proving decisive at St James' Park.

Sven Botman had broken the deadlock but Brentford took the lead before half-time, leading to jeers from the home fans.

Newcastle rallied through Bruno Guimaraes' penalty, only for Ouattara to have the final say on his 100th Premier League appearance.

Howe's team have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (19), and the Newcastle boss said: "There's a harsh reality for me. I need to think long and hard about me.

"I need to work better and do more, work out solutions.

"I need to take full responsibility for what you see on the pitch.

"I always feel under pressure, so it’s irrelevant to me. The pressure I put on myself couldn’t be more extreme. I’m obviously not doing my job well enough."

Howe also wants to see a response from his players, after a difficult in week in which Newcastle lost three games.

"It is a massive disappointment," Howe said. "It is damaging. It is damaging for our psychology, but there is only one way to solve that, and it is to dig out a win from somewhere.

"A strange game because, at 2-2, you think you're going to go on and win it. The game got away from us with a really poor third goal. We need to do it in control, and we weren't in control of the transition well enough.

"When we have been leading, we haven't gone with the conviction to put the game to bed. I think it has been a feature of our performances this season.

"We pride ourselves on finding ways to win, and we have done historically, but at the moment, we are not. We are battling, we are fighting. The players are 100% trying.

"I don't think we are playing at our best and, at the moment, we are on the wrong side of every mistake, and it is something we have to rectify quickly."

On the key for the team moving forward, he added: "Character. Resilience. Spirit. Fight. All of those key characteristics are what we need at the moment."

Meanwhile, captain Kieran Trippier insisted the buck for Newcastle's difficult spell stops with the players, and that head coach Howe cannot be blamed.

"I take full responsibility as a senior player in the dressing room," he said. "It's nothing about the manager. We are going through a tough spell – no doubt about it. We need to get our heads down.

"It is my responsibility, the senior players, to calm things down and lead by example. I have been in this place many times in my career, as other senior players have, so it is my responsibility to help the players because it is a demanding season. 

"Over the past couple of years, we have been a real force at home. But we can't put our heads down – the reality is, we've got another big game midweek, but it is tough to take, of course.

"I want to say it is nothing about the manager. We take responsibility for the performances. The manager puts the plan out and we try and execute it. I am not going down that route about the manager, I would never do that.

"It is us players who have to take responsibility on the pitch. Now, we have to regroup, put performances in and start winning games for ourselves, the supporters and the club, and for the manager as well."