After Newcastle United’s humiliating defeat at home to Sunderland on Sunday, Newcastle’s players did their best to duck media duties.
Perhaps Newcastle players were too embarrassed to face the media after a second humiliation in the space of a week, or what, it was very telling that no Newcastle players came out to speak to the media immediately after the game on Sunday.
Eddie Howe was left to face the flak on his own, and it was something that the gaffer did willingly, shouldering the blame for what was, let’s be honest, a shocking display on Sunday.
The official club media team did catch up with Anthony Gordon, however, and the England winger was critical of our display, particularly in the second half, and our inability to show our quality on the day.
Gordon would admit that Newcastle ‘were not good enough’, insisting we have ‘no excuses’ for such a poor display on such a big occasion.
Our number 10 also aimed a dig at our North East rivals, insisting the defeat is all the more frustrating when they are “not a very good team” when compared to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle.
“Not good enough. No excuses. We were good for 45 minutes which has been the case too often this season.
“It’s something we have been trying to work on but not good enough to start second half. They were the better team in the second half.
“The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they’re not a very good team, compared to us…”
“I think we had chances, some good play, in the first half but I don’t think we showed our quality.
“They were doing a man-for-man press, with two players marking me, so we always had a spare man and we never found them, using that advantage.
“That’s how you become a top team and we’re not at that level yet, because it’s such an easy thing to do in football and we couldn’t do it.”
Anthony Gordon has come in for a lot of criticism this season, with some fans (ourselves included) thinking his attitude has been one of a player who doesn’t really seem to care, almost as if he feels he’s too good to be here and he’s somehow above everyone else.
But to give him credit, he did sound genuinely disappointed in his interview with NUFC TV after the game, almost angry. And so he should, and that anger should also be directed inwards, too, because he was part of the problem. Albeit he was one of the better, if not our best player on the day.
It’s just irritating to hear Gordon saying that they are aware of their issues with poor second-half performances, and it’s something that they were conscious of before the game, and yet they went and did it again.
Why aren’t they changing things? What’s happening in that dressing room during the break? It’s truly baffling, and we know we keep harping on about it, but it’s just not normal.