Opinion
There has been a lot of scrutiny concerning reasons for the Newcastle United inconsistency this season.
Financial Fair Play restraints, the protracted and ultimately fruitless pursuit of Mark Guehi, the suggestion throughout pre-season of the departure of the team’s best players such as Antony Gordon to Liverpool and Alexander Isak to Arsenal.
Then add in the perceived conflict between Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell, the departure of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi and the possible diminishing investment interest from the Saudi Arabia PIF majority owners and it’s no wonder that the season has evolved into a roller coaster ride with far more lows than highs.
All these factors may well have played their part but it still doesn’t fully explain why performances on the pitch are so inconsistent.
Why can Newcastle United still challenge the likes of Liverpool and yet be unable to score a goal against West Ham at home and fail to have a shot on target in ninety minutes against then relegation zone Crystal Palace?
I think a large part of the answer is unquestionably about on-field leadership. Genuine on-field leadership is lacking.
In my opinion, Newcastle United erred in choosing Bruno Guimaraes as the ultimate leader at the start of the season.
Aside from being misguided, this decision also popped the tyres of Newcastle’s natural leader Kieran Trippier, who had already had plenty of wind taken out of his sails by the constant suggestion that he was a likely trade casualty. Jamal Lascelles continued as club captain for season after season, even during prolonged absence, so why couldn’t Kieran Trippier do the same? The answer is that Bruno was being cajoled to sign a contract and stay committed to Newcastle with the offer of the captaincy and Trippier was considered expendable and halfway through the exit door.
**So, why is Bruno Guimaraes the wrong choice as captain?**
Well, there will be many who admire Bruno’s energy and the way that he charges around the pitch flying into tackles and playing on the edge. And Bruno is certainly a fierce competitor. But what about the meaningless bookings picked up for dissent, or the needless fouls when opposition players are not posing a threat?
To be fair, Bruno has picked up two bookings in Premier League matches this season, compared with nine in season 2023/24, but he has been lucky on occasions not to see yellow.
And what about Bruno fist-pumping the crowd when he has made a tackle on the halfway line on an opposition player who is not posing a threat? What does this convey to teammates?
How often does Bruno stay down, seemingly paralysed by an inoccuous tackle from an opposition player? How often do we see Bruno get caught in possession trying to take on too many players? How many goals does Newcastle’s on-field leader contribute to the team to get his side back into the game? Is Bruno a communicator? Does he encourage and motivate the team through difficult gametime?
I believe Bruno Guimaraes disappears when the game is not in the shop window. In other words, not against Liverpool or Man City on prime time. There is no doubt he can play. I’m talking here about captaincy. Where was Bruno’s leadership in the second half of games against Brentford and West Ham when Newcastle’s performance spluttered? The team disappeared. Where was the on-field leadership to get the team back on track?
In my opinion, Bruno knows he is being courted by the likes of Man City and Barcelona and this seems to have affected his psyche to the point where his actions suggest he is on the stage. The fist pumping to the crowd after making a tackle sends the wrong message from a captain. It is not about the individual it is about the team. Celebrate goals, not tackles! Do any other players in the Premier League do this? Save the fist pumping for when you score a goal to drag a game out of the fire in the 93rd minute. Tackles are what midfielders are expected to do. Don’t let it go to your head. And instead of geeing up the crowd, gee up the players instead.
Observers may well believe that the crowd is Newcastle’s twelfth man but at times this season it has felt like Newcastle United have been playing with nine men. The players are instrumental in shaping performance, not the crowd, and the captain is the key to determining this.
I fully understand that it is not fair for the captain to carry the entire weight of responsibility for Newcastle’s loss of leadership and direction.
**Newcastle United off-field leadership**
I also firmly believe that Newcastle lost crucial off-field leadership in the Summer. The departure of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi fractured the team spirit and sense of unity that Newcastle United had post-takeover. They were the face of the club, fostering togetherness that helped to fashion such a strong belief culture. Their messaging was full of positivity. At that stage it appeared that the sky was the limit. Bringing in outsider replacements as decision makers may well have been a hard-headed business decision but this fractured the togetherness and undermined the belief of those already in place.
Instead of the positive media messaging from Amanda Staveley, the subsequent message from the off-field leaders was that key players could be sold at the right price. This statement, along with the actual sale of future prospects Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson, didn’t help foster team spirit and togetherness. Out of the blue, players were forced to confront the reality that they too may no longer be part of the project to propel Newcastle to greater heights.
Indeed, this perception still lingers today. Almiron, Wilson, Longstaff, Murphy, Barnes, Trippier and even Pope, Isak, Tonali and Gordon; do they have a future at Newcastle?
How invested are they in the project when there is so much doubt and uncertainty about what future Newcastle United looks like?
How can Newcastle create team togetherness to ensure consistent performances when most of the players feel like they are in the shop window with their futures possibly elsewhere?
Newcastle United are in desperate need of positive on-field and off-field leadership. Once the leadership model is fractured it is difficult to reconcile. Players who believe they are expendable do not give everything for the cause and quality players start looking for greener pastures.
It’s time for some positive messaging and actions from the Newcastle United leaders. Good leadership brings people together and creates unity of purpose. That’s when you get consistent performances.