Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been left dumbfounded after Sunday’s defeat at West Ham United.
We know St James’ Park is an absolute fortress for Newcastle United, but Eddie Howe cannot progress on home form alone.
Howe wanted a solution to Newcastle’s dire away form, but he didn’t see that at West Ham United.
Newcastle lost 3-1 at West Ham, despite the Hammers being in torrid form entering Sunday’s game.
The Magpies failed to kick on from Jacob Murphy’s early goal and slumped to arguably the most concerning defeat of the season so far.
Eddie Howe waves to the crowd after Newcastle United's Premier League win over Nottingham Forest.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Eddie Howe didn’t see Newcastle United collapse coming
The criticism has been stinging.
Gary Neville has fumed at Newcastle’s display, while Alan Shearer has branded Magpies stars as ‘lazy’.
Newcastle looked well short of the mark after Murphy’s goal, but Howe really didn’t see it coming.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Howe admitted that he didn’t see any warning signs from his players before kick-off.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Howe claims that his players looked focused and gave no indications of being off-colour ahead of facing the Hammers.
Howe can sometimes sense problems in the dressing room, but he didn’t spot any issues at all, making this defeat particularly difficult to read.
“I saw the focus before the game,” said Howe.
“I didn’t see this coming in terms of our performance, which makes it harder to read because sometimes you can have a feeling going into a game because you are not quite where you are meant to be. I didn’t feel that and thought we were ready to perform.
“That’s football, and that is why the game is fascinating and so elusive at the same time. You are always trying to catch the sweet spot and hoping the players are ready to perform.
“You can never think you have all the answers. It is such a game that can twist and turn. For us, it has changed negatively in a very quick time; now we have to turn it and flip it back the other way in a quick time too,” he added.
Sunday’s performance simply wasn’t good enough, but Newcastle can hit back quickly.
The Magpies host Athletic Club in the Champions League on Wednesday night and must turn in a performance.
Newcastle have started the Champions League campaign in strong form, and a victory over Athletic would somewhat atone for Sunday’s shocker.
This is another game at St James’ Park, though, and these Newcastle players cannot skate by on winning home games.
A response is also needed on the road, with this weekend’s trip to Brentford the next test away from Tyneside.