Newcastle United have fallen to their third successive defeat of the Premier League season and this one was by far the worst of the bunch.
While Newcastle haven’t looked themselves in the last trio of games, it was an entirely different side that turned up at the American Express Stadium today to face Brighton who ran the Magpies into the ground in a 3-1 win.
Newcastle were narrowly beaten by a much better side in Manchester City, were possibly unlucky against their big bogey team in Liverpool, and while Newcastle haven’t won a top flight game at Brighton, it felt today like they simply didn’t want to.
Alan Shearer was far from complimentary about Newcastle
At full time Alan Shearer was full of praise for Brighton but not so much for Newcastle posting on X: “Brilliant Brighton. Magnificent [Evan] Ferguson. Other than [Callum] Wilson Newcastle very poor in every department today. A tough start to the season i know but they were all over place. #BHANEW”
All over the place is putting it lightly, really. For me there was not a single player, except, as Shearer said, Callum Wilson, who could walk off that pitch with their head held high.
The opening passage of play saw Newcastle squander two excellent opportunities and then after that it was all Brighton. And I do mean all.
How Newcastle managed to get a goal at all I do not know. We didn’t deserve one.
Brighton were outstanding and Evan Ferguson, who Newcastle had a strong interest in this summer, showed why our scouts have been looking at him. What a player, what a performance.
The International break has come at the right time for Eddie Howe
Where do we go from here? I usually hate international breaks, but I think this could be a good thing for Newcastle. It gives Eddie Howe two weeks to properly assess whatever it is that’s going wrong right now. Why certain players look a shadow of their former selves, why the midfield just isn’t gelling, why the forwards are terrified of shooting… the list of issues goes on.
It’s time for Howe to make some big calls in this side. There’s no point bringing in players as competition for the starting eleven if those players don’t feel that their place is genuinely under threat. Some players are being picked based on historic form rather than current form it feels like, and that’s not right.
It is still very early days, and we have had the most difficult start to the season of any team in the Premier League, so let’s not get too carried away yet, but something does need to change when the league resumes after the break.
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