**Eddie Howe’s first-half Mags made another appearance at St James’ Park on Sunday, controlling the Tyne-Wear derby for 45 minutes before falling asleep in the second half.**
It might even be generous to say that [Newcastle controlled that first half against Sunderland](https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2026/03/22/derby-disgrace-at-st-james-park-newcastle-1-2-sunderland/). If anything, the visitors were their own worst enemy and Newcastle’s best chances, including the goal, came from Sunderland errors rather than good play by the Magpies.
Still, we had the lead from early in the first half, but failed to press on and add to it – I feel like I’ve written this sentence before for some reason.
Sunderland came out for the second half far brighter and more determined, and there’s no other way to say this: they deserved their win. And that’s a sentiment that was echoed by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer when discussing the game on The Rest Is Football podcast.
While Shearer readily admitted that Sunderland deserved their win, he was not going to accept the excuse that Newcastle were ‘tired’ after their difficult midweek fixture against Barcelona.
Gary Lineker tried to give Newcastle that excuse as an out, but Shearer wasn’t having it and once again pointed towards the summer recruitment as a big problem.
> _“I’m not accepting that. I don’t accept that. I’m not accepting the midweek caught up with them, not in a derby game. I don’t buy that._
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> _”You can’t be tired, that’s not an excuse. They got battered in the second half against Barcelona, I get that, I understand that and the travelling and all of that. And they were the better team, Newcastle in the first half. Sunderland really struggled to cope with the intensity._
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> _“I mean, it was madness the way Sunderland gifted Newcastle the first goal. Brilliant finish from Anthony Gordon, but I mean, what on earth are you doing inside the first 10 minutes trying to play out like that? And that’s what Newcastle want you to do._
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> _“They punished them for that. And I was getting so worried, and I said it at half time that Sunderland can’t be as bad in the second half because Newcastle should have scored another one, maybe two more._
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> _”I was always fearful that they would come back and um increase the intensity and they did that right from the first minute Sunderland and Newcastle couldn’t cope with it._
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> _“I’m saying, come on, get someone to just put the foot on the ball. It’s like oh it was I was just getting so annoyed and so angry. Sunderland were a better team and punished us and Brian Brobby was probably the best player for Sunderland. £17 million he cost from Ajax. You compare that to Newcastle’s recruitment in the summer and what they’ve paid on forwards. Therein lies the problem.”_
Alan Shearer went on to say that it’s going to be a long three weeks for Newcastle now as the international break begins, and we couldn’t agree more.
We’re not sure whether this break has come at the right time for Newcastle. A break was definitely needed for the players to rest if nothing else, but three weeks to sit and stew on one of the worst weeks in the post-takeover era? That’s going to be tough.
The game against Crystal Palace on 12th April is going to be very telling. If we can come out and put in a top performance and bag plenty of goals, we might just get some faith restored that this season won’t be a complete write-off, as many feel it is today.