Alan Shearer reacted to Newcastle United’s performance against West Ham United in the Premier League.
Newcastle went 1-0 up against West Ham on Sunday afternoon, with a fine Joe Willock strike breaking the deadlock.
But then the tide turned. A Lucas Paqueta strike and a Sven Botman own goal meant that the home side went into the second half on the ascendancy. A late Tomas Soucek goal made it 3-1.
West Ham United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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It was a very poor performance from Eddie Howe’s side, as noted by Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer.
Alan Shearer slams “terrible” Newcastle United
Shearer took to X after the first 45 minutes to express his concerns about Newcastle’s performance. He branded the Geordies “terrible” and called them “sloppy.”
He wrote on X: “What terrible first half from Newcastle. Sloppy and leggy. Too many errors.”
Shearer then added at full-time: “That was awful. No better 2nd half. Not one positive. Lazy. Leggy. Lethargic. Well done West Ham.”
Newcastle were seriously poor, and Howe will have been furious at halftime.
He made a bold call to substitute Nick Woltemade, Anthony Gordon, and Emil Krafth for the second half, showing he knew immediate action was necessary.
Sadly, Newcastle could not respond in the second half, and West Ham prevailed, giving Nuno Espirito Santo a much-needed win in the Premier League.
Back to the drawing board for Howe, it seems.
Chris Sutton agrees with Alan Shearer
Former Chelsea forward Chris Sutton also echoed Shearer’s thoughts on Sky Sports: “Eddie Howe will be disappointed with this first half.
“Newcastle have lacked a bit of energy. That spark.”
Newcastle responded a little better in the second half, but there were still flaws in their game that Howe will be desperate to fix sooner rather than later.
The Magpies now face Athletic Club in the Champions League midweek, where they will be hoping for a much-improved performance at St James’ Park.