Newcastle United lost 3-1 to Brentford on Sunday afternoon in what was another disgraceful performance. Chaotic, error-strewn, and (for the first time under Howe) sheer arrogance seemed to permeate United’s play, and the managers’ post-match comments.
United took the lead via Harvey Barnes before goals from Kevin Schade and an Igor Thiago brace settled the contest (although it really wasn’t much of one at all).
Here is everything that I didn’t like from the game:
Didn’t Like: The Arrogance/Insanity
I thought about waiting to write this piece, so as to calm down a little, reflect and give a measured response, but the sheer arrogance from the coaching staff to think that picking the same out-of-form side, hardly rotating, playing the same turgid football, and expecting a different result has my head on Mars, so the lads are getting both barrels today.
Eddie Howe has been brilliant for United, but he is falling into familiar (as in Nov-Dec 2024) all-too-predictable patterns in terms of picking his perceived favourites and horrible in-game management. As soon as the team sheet dropped, I knew we’d be in for a tough afternoon because it gives the opposition exactly what they want: predictability. The fact that we pass the ball at a snail’s pace, building up slower than my dead friend walks, it was all utter insanity.
What makes it even more desperate is that we don’t offer any attacking threat, unless it’s a piece of brilliance, like what Barnes provided in the first half. Brentford had 2.64xG to our 0.42! They created four big chances to our one, and we didn’t have a single shot on goal in the second half.
Woltemade is just not in games anymore, nobody is running beyond him (as proved by the one time Murphy crossed the ball well in the second half, no one was anywhere to be seen), and we don’t press as a team anymore, it’s all half-hearted and limp; and the opposition just play around us with ease.
Didn’t Like: The baffling Burn move
Let me be clear; Dan Burn does not deserve the flack coming his way for this performance. He was dreadful, but looking at the stats, he still won more duels than any other Newcastle player (6/10 in the air, and only 2/8 on the ground, mind), which just goes to show how cowardly the rest of the team were around him, but I digress.
Burn is not a LB; it worked for one season when it was a surprise, but it’s been found out (for months). The real kicker, though, was that having been booked and having gotten away with what looked like a penalty, Burn was kept on by Howe when every manager in the Premier League, all the way down to Sunday League, would’ve counted their blessings and hauled him off, thinking “we got away with one there.” Instead, Howe left him on, not only to get sent off but to eventually give away a penalty. Shocking stuff.
Howe came out after the match and said in his presser that he left Burn on for his height despite him being rinsed over and over and receiving a yellow card. I honestly better just leave that well alone because, frankly, it’s such an insane thing to say, when the game state shifts and making decisions on the fly are part of a manager’s job.
Didn’t Like: Physios leaving Pope on with a concussion
This (and it’s not the first time) was absolutely amateur from our medical staff. Pope was clearly struggling after a disgraceful make a bridge for the falling players back challenge from Schade, and was unable to sweep for the attack that led to Brentford’s penalty, because he was concussed. Why did no one from the medical team notice? Why wasn’t Pope taken off? It’s dangerous, and it’s cost us.
What makes it worse is that we thought we had evolved past this nonsense with the behind the scenes appointments. But I guess the sheer ineptitude spread to everybody on Sunday.
Didn’t Like: Just how predictable it all was
Krafth and Gordon aside, Howe played the same team as against West Ham, and got the same result and performance. It is indefensible to expect a different result and utterly predictable that we stunk up the place equally (if not worse) as badly.
More points dropped from a winning position, just 12 points on the board after 11 games, a -3 goal difference. It’s been an horrendous start to the league season, only covered by the fact that we’ve done so well in Europe and in the Carabao Cup.
I suppose it’s both a blessing and a curse that we now have an international break. A blessing in that we don’t have to watch a performance that poor again for a couple of weeks and a curse that we can’t put it right quickly.
Of course, this is all still rescuable, but there needs to be some real soul searching from Howe, and he needs to make tactical and personnel changes as we just don’t seem to have any sort of discernible tactical or attacking plan at the minute. We’ve become far too conservative when we score, which is bonkers because we’ve never lost a game under him when we’ve gone two goals ahead! Sitting back should be the antithesis of how we play and it needs to stop ASAP.
Keep the faith. HWTL
I’ve been trying to drown my sorrows,but I think someone illegitimate may have taught them to swim 😵💫
Tommy Tantrum(Quote)
Can’t argue with that Jonathan!
Howe is frightened it seems to change anything with regards to the system.
Changes personnel but same old 433
Joseph(Quote)
Eddie get back to beloved TOON tactics,ATTACK,ATTACK,ATTACK and make us ENTERTAINERS again. After all ATTACK is the best form of defense
KEEP THE FAITH
Stol
THOMAS STOLBERT ROBINSON(Quote)
You’ve summed up pretty much everything I was saying during and after the match on Sunday!
For two weeks running now, Eddie has made some baffling decisions. He/the team needs to play to Woltemade’s strengths and get clever, quick players around him, to play off him and run ahead of him. Yes, Big Nick needs to also develop and play with a bit more energy, but he has massive potential if he’s used in the right way.
Of course we all absolutely love the legend that is Dan Burn, but Eddie’s in-game decision not to switch him out for Hall was incredible, and we paid the price for it. This was compounded by the failure to take off Pope (for which the medical staff do have to share culpability); he was clearly not right after his painful-looking fall/landing and, quite frankly, his horrendous flapping/punching and hesitancy to come out and deal with anything with his feet has already cost us dearly this season . This was the perfect moment to take Pope out and bring on Rammers, who looks like a much more capable ALL-ROUND keeper! Had either Ramsdale or Hall been on the pitch at the time they should have been, Brentford wouldn’t have had the penalty and we would have still had 11 men on the pitch (Lewis Hall may not be tall but he is more likely to win a header than not having a player at all!!!)
I really, really hope that Eddie can turn this around. He has worked wonders for most of his tenure at Newcastle and is rightly a hero for leading us to domestic cup success last season, so he deserves the chance to steer the ship clear of these choppy waters, but he needs to make some clearer-minded decisions and take stock of the situation; the No. 1 priority is to ditch his No.1!!
Perhaps the international break has come at a good time, in some ways, but not for Ramsdale, who would have had his opportunity to take and potentially keep hold of the gloves if we had a game in the next week. Even if Pope is over his concussion by the time Man City come to SJP, we should all be cheering on Rammers between the sticks (and trying to keep out Haaland!?!).
While I’m on what appears to be something of a rant… does anyone else think that Schär and Thiaw might be the best central defensive partnership? And (again an absolute legend, but…) is time to think about giving big Joe less time in the starting line up and using Ramsay and Miles more, who have both have more creativity (and could well link better with Woltemade) ??
HTL
Geordie Broady(Quote)
Jonathan the thing with concussion it might not kick in till few minutes afterwards as my Dad has experienced that hope it was for the medical teams sake because if not that was amaturish
Darren Bebb(Quote)
No closing down, just following the opponents while they attack. Left back look dangerously exposed everytime a long ball was pump there. What the **** was Woltemade playing in the middle of the midfield, didnt someone instruct him to move into the final third of the field? We have many tall players 1.9M and above but we kept giving over goals to shorter opponents and we hardly score any goals from corners and freekicks. What is the problem with this team? Tactically we sucks and that only can come from the manager.
J(Quote)
Just the 4
Absolutely glorious(Quote)