Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has given his verdict on the Magpies’ 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Eddie Howe’s side are enjoying an unbeaten start to the season, yet Newcastle United have failed to convince in any of their four fixtures so far.
The Magpies were on the back foot for most of the afternoon against Tottenham Hotspur, yet were able to rob victory from Ange Postecoglou’s side. A brisk counterattack allowed Alexander Isak to score the winner, as Newcastle head into the international break with some positive momentum after a dismal end to the summer transfer window.
It was relief for the Toon Army, who saw the club fail to make a major signing this summer. The Marc Guehi deal collapsed, while a late attempt to sign Anthony Elanga fell short.
Alan Shearer was extremely critical of Newcastle not making a signing, and the transfer situation summed up the chaos behind the scenes at St James’ Park.
Alan Shearer will not forget transfer window fiasco quickly despite Newcastle United win
On the pitch, Newcastle are delivering. They are finding a way to win without playing well, which is at least some encouragement for Alan Shearer.
But Shearer, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, thinks Newcastle will need to get lucky with injuries, because of the situation that Paul Mitchell and Darren Eales have put them in.
They both watched Newcastle beat Spurs alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan at St James’ Park, in what was a pre-planned visit from the PIF chief.
“Newcastle probably scored both goals against the run of play,” Shearer said.
“They had a decent start to the game. I suppose it’s a good sign, in a way, that they’re not playing well yet. Two wins and a draw without really playing particularly well. Into the third round of the Carabao Cup. Fabian Schar to come back in.
“I think it was really poor that they did not manage to get the transfer that everyone wanted over the line. I said last week that it wouldn’t reflect well on the sporting director [Paul Mitchell] or the chief executive [Darren Eales], and I still say that.
“For Newcastle to do well this season, they are going to have to be really fortunate with injuries.”
Darren Eales must front up after frustrating summer for Newcastle United
Not making any major signings was a massive disappointment for Newcastle United. It represented failure, despite this being a very difficult summer for the club to manoeuvre.
There has been so much change behind the scenes, with Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi leaving.
On top of that, Paul Mitchell became the new sporting director, arriving at the club with a great reputation when it comes to recruitment. However, he fell short in his first transfer window in charge.
However, I do have some sympathy for Mitchell. The summer was well underway by the time he arrived, while Mitchell had been confident he could sign Marc Guehi. Sadly, he ended up being messed around by Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish.
But there is less sympathy for Darren Eales. He is the public face of the club now that Staveley has gone, and he actually had a role in her departure.
Flying solo, Eales has failed the club. It is all well and good thanking the fans when they are buying their expensive shirts and singing songs at the St James’ Stack, but he has gone on to oversee a transfer window that has made Eddie Howe’s job even harder.
He is under pressure, and Shearer is right to criticise him despite Newcastle winning on Sunday. Howe and the players got the job done, despite the lack of help from those above.
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