Newcastle United are used to being unpopular.
Indeed, the nature of the PIF ownership means Newcastle are never likely to ellicit much in the way of sympathy. Jurgen Klopp, after all, famously said the club no longer had a “ceiling”, although that has proven not to be the case given FFP frustrations.
Only last season, Erik ten Hag branded Eddie Howe’s side “annoying”. At their best, Newcastle can rough it with the best of them and that was part of what made last year so great.
So it will be of little concern to the likes of Kieran Trippier whatever the crowd say. He responded to taunts from Sunderland fans in the FA Cup last month by reminding them of the scoreline and it’s fair to say the abuse of the England defender continued on Tuesday night at Blackburn.
Kieran Trippier: Why Blackburn fans were booing Newcastle star tonight
Trippier was not a popular figure at Ewood Park to say the least.
As noted by The Chronicle, the 33-year-old was booed relentlessly by the home supporters.
It all boils down to the fact Trippier played for their bitter rivals Burnley between 2011 and 2015 before going on to join Tottenham and later Atletico Madrid before moving to Newcastle in January 2022.
Blackburn vs Newcastle: Unconvincing FA Cup win
Well, that was unpleasant.
Newcastle eventually squeezed past the Championship outfit on penalties, having been run very close during regulation and extra time. Though Howe’s side wasted chances, the hosts weren’t without their opportunities themselves.
It certainly wasn’t pretty and doesn’t inspire much in the way of confidence for the latter rounds, particularly if the draw isn’t very kind.
Still, after such a mixed time of things of late, it was something at least. There’s still something to play for this season.
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