Jacob Murphy wearing the armband against Crystal Palace was a microcosm of everything that is wrong at Newcastle United.
Eyebrows were raised when Jacob Murphy led Newcastle United into battle against Crystal Palace. If that proved to be Eddie Howe’s first mistake on another dismal afternoon, his second was keeping the winger on the pitch for 90 minutes.
The Magpies crumbled under his leadership - going 1-0 up before capitulating to paint an all too familiar picture. This is a meek Newcastle side akin to the Mike Ashley era. Undoubtedly, they have superior quality - but 25 points surrendered from winning positions indicates a submissive mentality when the going gets tough.
Murphy wearing the armband symbolised the Magpies’ problems. A major summer clear-out - if not already evident - swiftly became a nailed-on priority. Signed in 2017 following promotion under Rafa Benitez, the 31-year-old has endured and enjoyed his career at St James’ Park in equal measure.
There was a time when Murphy’s introduction from the bench would trigger a collective groan across Tyneside. Under Rafa Benitez, Steve Bruce and even during the early months of Eddie Howe’s reign, he was little more than a bit-part player.
It could be argued that, on day one of the takeover, Murphy was not good enough for Newcastle. We are now almost five years into the Saudi-backed project.
To his credit, Murphy deserves plaudits for remoulding himself into a useful squad player in recent seasons. But that is where the story should end. For him to wear the captain’s armband - even by default - must force David Hopkinson to rethink his 2030 vision.
Losing possession 25 times - an eye-catching stat - was not the source of Newcastle fans’ post-match anger. That was reserved for the captaincy call, with pre-match concerns emphatically justified when Sven Botman clumsily conceded a stoppage-time penalty.
With a sea of green shirts swarming referee Andy Madley, it was left to Malick Thiaw to point out the obvious: Murphy, as captain, should be leading the protests. Any attempt to overturn the decision was destined to fail but, in that moment, the absence of leadership was glaring.
Perhaps this article is harsh on Murphy. Newcastle did not lose on Sunday because of him alone. His teammates and manager were also not up to scratch. But the image lingered: Murphy, armband on, shrinking rather than stepping up. At a time of need, it was a microcosm of everything that is wrong at the club right now.
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