Alan Shearer has laid into Newcastle United's players and coaching staff following their 3-1 loss against West Ham United on Sunday. The Hammers came from behind to beat Eddie Howe's side, who were off the pace for much of the 90 minutes.
Although Newcastle took the lead just four minutes into the contest through Jacob Murphy, they were unable to keep the hosts out, as Lucas Paqueta struck from outside the box to level proceedings. Things then went from bad to worse for the Geordies when Sven Botman turned Aaron Wan Bissaka's cross into his own net.
West Ham continued to control proceedings for much of the second half, with Freddie Potts, who had an excellent game, having an effort struck off for offside. But Thomas Soucek was on hand to then grab a third, guaranteeing a first win for new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Shearer Fumes Over Newcastle Performance
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe and his players applaud fans after West Ham loss.
Premier League - West Ham United v Newcastle United - London Stadium, London, Britain - November 2, 2025 Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Although West Ham deserve plenty of credit for their performance on Sunday afternoon, there was plenty of frustration from Newcastle supporters over how their team performed. That anger was perfectly illustrated by Shearer, who took to X to voice his thoughts about how his former team fared.
Going into half-time, the club's record goalscorer bemoaned the constant mistakes that Howe's team made. He wrote: "What a terrible first half from Newcastle. Sloppy and leggy. Too many errors."
Things didn't get any better after the interval, though, and as a toothless Newcastle limped to full-time. That only served to frustrate Shearer more, who then published a damning 17-word tweet.
"That was awful. No better 2nd half. Not one positive. Lazy. Leggy. Lethargic. Well done West Ham."
It's hard not to agree with the former striker's sentiment. Newcastle failed to create a single big chance in the game and, although they managed just three fewer shots than their opponents, could only produce four shots on target during what was a difficult day for the northeast outfit.
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle Match Statistics
West Ham
37%
1.75
2
15
9
21
Howe Slams 'Unrecognisable' Newcastle
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe after losing to West Ham United.
Premier League - West Ham United v Newcastle United - London Stadium, London, Britain - November 2, 2025 Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Shearer was not the only one who was far from happy with what he saw from Newcastle players against the Irons. Howe made his feelings about the performance known following the match, calling his team "unrecognisable."
"The dynamism wasn’t there today," he said, per the Independent. "The physicality, the energy was missing from our performance. Hugely frustrating for us. A poor performance. We weren’t ourselves today.
"The numbers aren’t good in terms of our away form recently. We haven’t replicated our home form away but I think some of the performances have been good.
"But that’s the worse we’ve played during that run of games where we haven’t won. It didn’t look like a Newcastle team that we’ve seen in recent seasons. I think the body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things that contribute to our performance weren’t there.
"The longer that first half went on, the more frustrated I was with our performance. We were unrecognisable in certain aspects of our game."
Supporters will hope to see the Magpies return to winning ways in their upcoming games. They host Athletic Club in the Champions League on Wednesday night, before then travelling to Brentford on Sunday 9th November.