Pundit Andy Townsend has now revealed what he thinks Eddie Howe should banish from Newcastle United’s dressing room after a fourth defeat in their last five games last night.
There’s been a lot of talk about how tired the Newcastle players have looked recently after struggling with a long list of injuries in the first four months of the season.
Townsend was on talkSPORT this morning where he claimed that talking about fatigue within the team is only going to perpetuate the problem, and that Howe should ban it at Newcastle.
Townsend says Newcastle have to stop feeling sorry for themselves
In the Premier League you’re not going to win any prizes for being the most hard done by, it’s every team for themselves at the end of the day.
It wouldn’t matter if Newcastle had two injuries or 20, the only thing that will matter to the owners and the fans, ultimately, is where they finish and what they compete for during the season.
A number of players have been looking tired recently like Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron, but injuries are preventing Howe from giving them a much needed rest.
Either Howe opts for an academy player to use instead or the first-team squad have to just get on with it, but Townsend doesn’t think focusing on the negatives is going to be beneficial for Newcastle.
On talkSPORT, Townsend said: “I think at some point you have to banish talk or tiredness and fatigue. You have to get that out of the dressing room.
“Always asking the question, you are up against it Eddie, one or two are carrying knocks. At some points as a group you have to get that out and get through it.”
Newcastle only look tired when they lose
It might sound a bit ridiculous to say, but the issue of fatigue and tiredness only seems to be presented as an issue when the team lose.
That’s not to suggest that it’s not a valid excuse because the players just aren’t used to this amount of game time, but it makes you wonder why fatigue didn’t seem to be an issue at all in their 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.
Newcastle have to find a way of overcoming this not only physically but also mentally, because it can be a slippery slope once the squad start believing they no longer have enough left to win.
It’s difficult to see Howe letting his players get into this mindset in the first place, but it’s still something that they will have to be aware of as they head to Luton on Saturday.
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