· 3 November 2025, 13:00
Alan Shearer isn't really one to hold back when it comes to Newcastle United, whether that be with his praise or his criticism.
There certainly wasn't a lot for the former Toon striker to praise after yesterday's performance as he went on an epic rant about how poor his beloved Newcastle were on The Rest Is Football Podcast.
While Shearer did manage to single out Jacob Murphy for praise, he claims that nobody else came away with any credibility. As we've said before, our pick would have been Malick Thiaw just for some of the tackles he made, but on reflection, Murphy was the only one at the other end of the pitch who was even trying, so that's a good shout by Shearer.
Through our bitter tears yesterday, we claimed that West Ham were poor; it's just that we were worse, and that was probably unfair on the Hammers in hindsight. After listening to Shearer's rant, we feel he had some good points about their performance.
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Alan Shaerer got a touch ranty on The Rest Is Football this week
We definitely agree with the adjectives Shearer uses to describe Newcastle yesterday, though. One hundred per cent.
“Seriously, how bad were Newcastle? I mean, they were rotten. They were awful. It's as bad as I can remember under Eddie Howe for a long time. Until the last time you said this last season at some point. It was so bad. I mean, they were lazy.
“They were lethargic. They had no energy. I mean, other than maybe Murphy, who scored the goal, there was not one player who could come off that pitch and say, I did alright today.
"They were terrible. Every single one of them, from the goalkeeper to the centre forward, right the way through. They were awful and got what they deserved.
“West Ham were the best team by a mile. Yeah, and it hurts to say that, because even when they went 1-0 up, I'm thinking they're a bit fortunate here. But then I'm thinking West Ham are so fragile.
“Well, it was mad, wasn't it, because you had that incredible effort from Jarrod Bowen in the post. Then they went straight down the other side and scored. I thought, ‘We're going to get a few here. West Ham are fragile. The fans will be moaning. It's going to be a tough day for West Ham’.
“But give credit to them for the way they turned it around and the way they stuck together, because the pressure was on them when Newcastle scored. So, yeah, well done West Ham. They thoroughly deserved it. Newcastle are hopeless.”
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Alan Shearer blasted Newcastle's away form
Shearer wasn't done there, though, going on to blast Newcastle's form away from home this season, offering up changes to the squad as an excuse.
“It’s a different style, obviously, with what happened in the summer, getting used to playing a different way… but I don’t like what I’m seeing away from home.
“I get that things have changed, but that doesn’t stop you from running around and being aggressive. If you go back to last season, the one thing Newcastle were was tough to play against. The thing about going away from home is you might have 3,000 fans inside the stadium.
“At home, you have 52,000 who will not let you not put a shift in, not graft, not work, tackle or all the things that made Newcastle successful. I’m not seeing that away from home.”
Newcastle are back in action at home on Wednesday, so let's see if they can pick themselves up and put in a performance. They owe the fans something special.