NUFC stars came up short, not Eddie Howe!

[@craighope_dailymail]

There is a lot of criticism for Eddie Howe in the comments, and thank you to all who have replied. For me, there isn't much more Howe could have done last night. We'd all have picked that team (three straight wins) and probably made the same changes. The system allowed them to get in behind West Ham out wide on countless occasions (for 50 minutes). It was the players who failed the manager with their final pass/cross selection or execution. You can lead a horse to water and all that...

[@neilglover6980]

Craig, he could have figured out that Sandro Tonali is a better player than Longstaff. He could have figured out how to break down a defence, he could have figured out how to defend set pieces..... you're right there's nothing he could have done, he'd already failed to prepare the team to win. Get your tongue out of his hole and do some actual reporting. Pathetic man

[@deanharding740]

I think you’re absolutely right Craig - the only objective and fair summary of the game I’ve seen on social media. It wasn’t Howes fault that Isak couldn’t hit a barn door either.

[@chrisk3189]

Correct. Questions need to start be asked re Gordon. Looks uninterested since Liverpools interest in the summer (bet he is incredible next Wednesday) and signing his new contract. Likewise for Bruno, another big player who isnt performing this season so far.

[@ryand1168]

@@craighope_dailymail he needs to stick to his principles. He's changing too much... And this is what's producing this inconsistent season. Unfortunately results like last night, Fulham, Everton and brighton (and I expect more poor results over the season) means unless there some kind of drastic change in form there will be no top 5 push this season.

[@andygallagher6897]

Certainly agree the starting line up is the 1 most would have picked. The subs made sense but it felt like by the end players didn't know where they were meant to be - not sure if that's manager, players or both

[@givenright]

We will prove to be a mid table team that is capable of beating anyone and losing to anyone. That won't be enough for owners come Summer

[@mark.lawrence]

👏👏👏

[@TyneBridge90]

I disagree....the owners don't give a shit and couldn't be any less involved if they tried. As Keegan once said "Its not how it was described in the brochure"....... Feels like we were sold a dodgy timeshare in Benidorm by Mike Ashley with a teatowel on his heed

[@TonyODOnnell-tt8gh]

My thoughts, exactly

[@shauntaylor6040]

The stadium decision is key, PIF are not going to fund that if they aren't committed.

[@EverMoreNUFC]

Whilst I don't disagree the players rightly so need to take criticism for the performance I still think we set up wrong. West Ham were always gonna sit in & let us have the ball. Sean grafts hard & is the right pick for games like Arsenal at home but games like this when you have more of the ball he's found wanting. Tonali should've started & dropping the likes of Miley who can get on the ball too from the squad was poor & those choices unfortunately are on the manager I'm afraid. We had enough out there to get summit but the manager should've freshened up the mid & made changes quicker as we could've played until Xmas & not scored.

[@TonyODOnnell-tt8gh]

Exactly, Chris, Mark ....

[@silvafox7719]

I think West Ham stung us going 433. We weren't ready for them matching up against us across the pitch. We still created and squandered chances and went down, then didn't turn up 2nd half. We're never good after international breaks. Howe needs intensity for this formation to work, and we din't show enough of it.

[@craighope_dailymail]

That's fair, in terms of horses for courses. Maybe Tonali would have been a better bet from the off, and the option of Miley. I didn't think so at the start - so won't say so now - but I see the logic in that.

[@jazzyb1234]

Sat in the stands I had too many players to criticise in a short message but the passing was just awful, Lloyd Kelly probably the worst on the pitch but no one shone. Gordon’s worst game of the season, Bruno ineffectual, Joelinton poor. 2 weeks off, players back from injury there’s no excuses simply not good enough.

[@DanielCordone9]

Gordon's a Championship player

[@cryptotheyoutubealliance9549]

Some teams have a pattern no matter who plays and manager, Toon always inconsistent but thats consistent

[@rosscumming13]

Maybe Eddie should drop Bruno for Tonali just to give him a wake up call…

[@rrstows3522]

Will in the next round of the league cup

[@mikem9309]

Bruno was a beast when he came off the bench against Chelsea i think it was. came to prove a point. Tonali is too good to be getting such little game time. Longstaff is great when we are chasing possession but we need Tonali when we are facing a low block

[@craighope_dailymail]

I'd like to see Tonali centrally again, for sure.

[@JoeCheetham5]

The 15-20 mins after the 2nd in 442 was an absolute mess.

[@rogercookcouk]

Can't disagree mate

[@stevenphillips4494]

Absolutely… IF he was going to go 4-4-2 why not keep Gordon & Barnes wide and use Joelinton as a partner for Isak ! .. at least he’d occupy the centre half.

[@broonybroony9564]

Who signed Kelly? Who picked Longstaff rather than Tonali?Who dictates intensity? Why did 2 strikers sit on the bench most of the night if goals change games?Howe isn’t blameless.Just saying.

[@TheIncredibleBeard_]

You don't realise. If we lose, it's always the players fault. Howe is only responsible for the good results, seemingly.

[@AndrewDB04]

kelly is shite. weve learnt nothing since ryan frazer. if kelly doesnt work out we can never sell him. he is on fat money and would see it out like frazer.

[@NUFC2412]

What exactly did Tonali bring to the table?

[@Garrin1977]

@@NUFC2412decisive forward passing when runs are being made towards goal

[@kooler8586]

​@@NUFC2412 chips

[@katzrus3]

Lloyd Kelly is shite. We shouldnt be shocked. Yet he knows where his wallet is. Useless

[@kathchandler8189]

@@katzrus3 yep, he was at fault for both of their goals , we actually missed Burn , thank God it was only a 1 match ban !

[@Sillygoooose624]

On a scale of Caçapa to Boumsong how awful is Lloyd Kelly?

[@ZionOrange]

He has started 3 and all three were stinkers. He may be a free but we can see why

[@Sillygoooose624]

5th choice CB, 3rd choice LB on 100k a week for another 4 year. And that was our only signing in the summer to go into first team - on a free, whilst losing two first team players in Anderson and Minteh. Beyond a joke at this point.

[@badofcheese]

@@Sillygoooose624Rumour is he’s on £150k a week. Sickening. He’s really dreadful.

[@Sillygoooose624]

@@badofcheese 150k is bonkers. Botman can’t even be on that. Such an Ashley era signing. The Jeff Hendrick of defenders 🫤

[@Unclebuzzcocksne]

Thought it was the second coming of Titus Bramble

[@ryand1168]

2 massive opportunities missed this season, Fulham and West Ham…. Both times fell flat on our face. There’s no consistency to the team, it’s as if we are trying to play differently every game from opponent to opponent. Joelinton in midfield, then on the left then on the right, longstaff in then out then in again, tonali starts then benched, willock in or out? Gordon starts on the left then moved to the right for a couple of games then back to the left lol… Never know who he’s going to play at right back once trips is back… probably change again and take tino out. Do we play on the break or not? Seems it depends which way the wind blows. All this change in 12 games is madness. It’s as if Eddie is STILL trying to figure out what his best side/style is. All this change and you can’t expect any kind of consistency from the team. All the greatest teams from my view get it right then stick with it. Eddie is tinkering too much this season and we can’t get into a rhythm. In the season we finished 4th it was pretty simple… same playing style/x11 and the only problem Eddie has to keep the players motivated. Eddie needs to pick what he thinks is his best team and stick with it, the first sign of trouble he changes everything and knocks us out of a rhythm. Just ride it out Eddies loyalty to players is also detrimental to the club.

[@neilsnowdon2863]

I'm commenting before I listen to your thoughts, Craig. We flattered to deceive last night. Goals deliver confidence. West Ham grew when they scored from a badly marked corner. We deflated when they scored their second. It was like watching the Brighton game again. Spurning chances is becoming a common theme. Isak and Gordon are both guilty of this. We are not scoring enough. It's that simple. So often our final ball is not clinical enough. When chasing the game we left ourselves wide open. The various subs could not lift our spirits and the Hammers were worthy winners. We burn ourselves out, huffing and puffing, to no avail! My MotM is Lewis Hall. Tino had a reasonable game until he reached the final third. More work is needed in attack and measure your effort better. .

[@terrym61]

The feeling I get and that I’ve always had since my first game (supermacs debut v Liverpool 1971) is that we almost get our hands on the top rungs of the ladder and someone pulls us back down to the bottom and that’s why amidst all the pre match predictions of 3 and 4 nil by many fans I was cringing.It’s just what we are.Maybe it’s pressure but I’d love to know the answers.

[@shiftytaco8688]

Exactly, it’s the hope that kills ya

[@shauntaylor6040]

A complete lack of winning culture at the club.

[@1574john]

Sorry Craig, I admire your loyalty but this isn’t a one game wonder, we have lost at home to West Ham, Brighton and a poor Man City got a draw, we can’t just say “oh but that’s City” anymore can we? We were toothless in all 3 games and a couple of away games as well. We have kept a couple of clean sheets in the premiership but in truth we only deserved the one against Arsenal, so we are not the defensively sound team we are being told we are either. We have scored 13 goals so far, the joint 3rd lowest in the premiership and the lowest in the top half. We had a relatively good fixture list over the first 12 games and we have been shockingly bad in at least half of those games. All this under the best “Monday to Friday” manager in the league. We have no European football and giving Eddie all week to train was going to be a big positive this season. It hasn’t been, we have looked frail and disorganised more often than not. Yes the players are underperforming but who trains them and organises and motivates them? Not Eddie Howe judging by the results. We have a very difficult January ahead and this season can end really well or we are looking at losing our best players and going back 3 to 5 years in a rebuild come the summer. As it stands I think the latter is looking more likely and Eddie wont survive another poor season. I wanted the dream, the Eddie taking us to the top and being the next Alex Ferguson dream. Increasingly it looks like the pundits got it right and we have an interim manager. Eddie was plagued by injury last season but he also makes a lot of mistakes, this season is similar but less injury and more mistakes. Remember the quote “We can’t afford a single mistake in the transfer window?” We are reaping the reward for numerous mistakes now.

[@1sparkyj]

Totally agre with you Craig, those players were more than capable of winning this game. Things were fine until the goal, and for me the attitude of the players after that showed a lack of leadership on the pitch. Showed to me why Dan Burn is so important to this team, no one else stood up and took control

[@JacobScott0000]

Yeah I think leadership is very important. If Im honest, I’m not a fan of Bruno as the captain. I think trips was much better and we seemed more determined and organised when he was out captain.

[@bobbySumpton]

He should also be our Captain this season

[@grahamritchie7755]

Craig we really missed a big chance tonight it was a very poor performance by just about everyone. I did not see that coming

[@craighope_dailymail]

I didn’t see it coming either, but at the same time, the way it played out wasn’t a huge surprise.

[@SoulControlla99]

Stop playing Longstaff. Bruno had a terrible day passing, but Sean always can't pass. He can't shoot either. Need more quality in the side.

[@zepherreload]

I've said this for 3 seasons. lol he doesn't follow his marked player and allows shots. I think he runs a lot but never actually tables 😆

[@jasonwalton4876]

Said it before. When we expect to have the ball, we should try Tonali at 6 and Bruno at 8. Bruno can use his short range passing and ball control/dribbling to unpick a low block. Tonali is quicker in recovery, too, when we lose possession higher up the pitch...

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

Maybe if Tonali stood more than two feet away from Bruno, got into decent positions to receive the ball and didn't always play sideways balls he'd get in the starting lineup ahead of Longstaff.

[@damienreilly4347]

I don't think that Howe can't take the blame here. He can't seem to cope with teams that play with a low block. I understand its difficult, but we dont have the quality to break teams down like this, so why go for a high pressing, high possession based way to play when it doesnt work. Whilst i don't think is a bad manager, i don't think hes great either, i think if the owners want to finish top 4 consistently then we need an elite coach.

[@johnglaister5851]

Bowen was superb last night, exactly the sort of player we need on the RW. Some of our players don't seem to gel that well. Final balls were terrible last night.

[@BaronSpamedi]

Aye, you're right. This is predominently on the players. Howe did nothing that changed the match, but it was the players whose heads dropped after the goal. It was the players who looked really sloppy and wasteful. 18 shots, 2 on target. I dont blame Howe for the poor quality of the crossing from Murphy and Livramento, or for Kelly falling asleep in the box, or for Gordon and Willock's lacklustre performances, or for Isak's wasteful shooting, etc. Im not sure Bruno has the presence to be a captain when the team is playing poorly. As a group, they need to take responsibility for playing well below the levels they are capable of, and they need to show some backbone.

[@tomruddell-h7t]

All hail sir Eddie

[@JacobScott0000]

I agree, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Im also not keen on Bruno as the captain. Trippier was much better and we were way more galvanised and organised when he’s our captain on the pitch

[@tomruddell-h7t]

@@JacobScott0000 what are you talking about, it's the coaches job to get the best out of these players. The system doesn't suit most of them. Squad is imbalanced. They are doing ok for their countries. I'd rather lose Eddie than Isak, Bruno and Botman

[@silvafox7719]

The team needs balance. The RW is all over the place right now. Gordon, Isak, Bruno all played at a low gear. Kelly wasn't good, he just kept passing the ball to Hall to get him out of trouble. Longstaff is up and down like a yo-yo, and Tonali doesn't get enough time and Willock was dire. (maybe the injury stifled him) If we'd took our chances, it could have been a 4-2 to us result. Fine margins, mistakes and some lazy passing didn't help us. We lost. I'll get over it. We need a response though as that was a bad performance

[@AllyBeee1]

We can't handle a low block. Kelly was very poor, his big chance and he didn't take it. Tonali needs to start in these games, Longstaff when we need to win the ball fair enough, but Tonali should have started today. I almost thought Tonali might come in for Bruno because he played midweek. Gordon is just not back to his best, lack of goals very worrying, everyone looks tired. Too many sideways passing not enough shots. Poor Eddie does have his work cut out, but i think the late subs were pure panic, not tactical, couldn't understand having Osula on the bench not Alex Murphy & no Miley but Murph & Miggy?.

[@rogercookcouk]

Agree AllyB

[@DanielCordone9]

Almiron should be starting ahead of Anthony Gordon. Gordon has been poor all year

[@stephennutkin2477]

Before the first ball of the season was kicked West Ham were expected to be one of those teams fighting for top six because they bought in good players but their league position said otherwise. Last night they filled in the middle of the park and hit us like a battering ram (how many supposedly lesser teams have done that to us this season ?.) aided and abetted by a poorly defended set piece (once again) and by poor performances by AG & BG and better performances by their opposite numbers one of who deservedly got MoM. They (WH) through their endeavour got a rub of the green including a pen shout for Newcastle which wasn’t even looked at. I would say that the West Ham that played last night were/are a better team than Notts Forrest who started the season better than expected.

[@jonny5alive7]

You don't typically see Newcastle fans leaving early if we're losing, but many did for this game. I think that was a sign of how poor the second half display was, it just didn't look at all like Newcastle were going to get back into it. A real lack of urgency, which is unusual for this team.

[@std6385]

Kelly has the look and feel already that in 4 years time or whenever his contract runs to that we'll be paying him off or running it down, like a Fraser, Hendrick, Lewis, Hayden and many others. To pay that standard of player 100k plus a week someone should be held to account, hes too weak to play centre back and looks worse at left back so I have no idea what he was actually brought in to be or do.

[@patrickac2924]

Please don’t tell me he is on 100k….

[@std6385]

So it's reported, unsellable now no one will give him anywhere near that so is a dead cert to be another who runs contract down

[@silvafox7719]

He was brought in as he was cheap, can play two positions, has pace and we needed bodies after last season and with Botman out. Not an ideal scenario though as his wages will keep him here for his full contract. He's not strong enough.

[@gazof-the-north1980]

@@patrickac2924 I believe Kelly is on 150K per week and a 6 yr contract (5 years + the option of a 6th)

[@DanielCordone9]

He is absolutely useless. Should've signed Marcos Senesi instead, but he's not British

[@andrewvaughan5686]

For every one step forward its two steps back. As always with newcastle. (i wrote that before finishing the vid lol) Other than a few glimpses here and there Gordon has been dreadful this season. Him not performing is massively costing us in our goals output. Tonali needs to start, end of. I dont care what the stats say when longstaff or willock are in the team, hes a much better player than those two put together. Whats so frustrating about it is he was Eddie's first choice, id understand if he got a player he didnt want but when you spend $50mil on a player and cant figure out how to get him into the team questions need to be asked. Kelly isnt even a championship player. I think Dan Burn has been one of our better players this season and what he brings to the team is underrated. We need a rw in jan, joelinton can put a shift in there but we need someone to put crosses in and create chances, something were massively lacking atm.

[@JacobScott0000]

There is an element of ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’ If you can’t finish the chances I’m not sure how much Howe can do about that. Then again, there is the tonali issue. Many fans believe he should have started and he’s under pressure for that. Myself I’m not sure. I was at work and didn’t see how tonali played when he came on. Loyd Kelly… need I say more. It’s seeming like player favouritism by many from a former Bournemouth manager to a player who isn’t up to scratch. Then there’s the issue of teams sitting back - do we have an answer for that? Surely we should! Finally, theres no European football as an excuse this season so the pressure really is on for Eddie Howe I feel. For the first time, I think Howe really does have some questions to answer

[@djcraigf]

Is it me or has anyone noticed we don’t win the toss ? And when we kick downhill first half we rarely put a performance in ? heads or tails in Brazil ?

[@DanielCordone9]

I hope Palace beat us on Saturday. It's crucial for Eddie Howe to be sacked. We can't go into another transfer window with him in charge

[@andreweames1277]

Eddie howe is to blame. How many more awful perfomances do we accept? We trying to get europe yet we keep playing so badly. How many more do we accept? Who is in charge of the set pieces? Who is in charge of coaching? Why dont we score from set pieces? Hes had 3 years and hasnt fixed it. Barnes and tonali needs to start for Willock and longstaff consistently. They would get better and better. Howe thinks longstaff is better than tonali says it all. Would longstaff get in the italy squad?

[@DavidRedshaw-i2h]

Trying to get into Europe 🤔thinking we will be trying to stay mid table

[@AndrewDB04]

finally someone see,s what i see. i dont do sentimental. i want success not talk.

[@michaeloneill8025]

We simply don’t have a creative midfielder, Kelly is second rate and an Italian international on the bench( who will be gone, along with Isak in the summer) while Howe plays Longstaff! Unfortunately we have an average and inconsistent side but can’t improve due to PSR restraints.How I’d love to have Bowen and Paqueta in our side. We were after Paqueta originally ( who is much more creative than Bruno) but unfortunately he preferred to go to London. Gordon and Guimaraes very poor.

[@silvafox7719]

@@AndrewDB04 We don't pay top wages, so don't excpect a top position. We're a team around 5-9th at the moment.

[@DanielCordone9]

Lol Howe favours average British players. He's prejudice. We need 16 new players and a new manager. We're trying to get in the Champions league and he signs Lloyd Kelly, Osula and John Ruddy

[@coltonconner782]

Don’t ever put Bruno on the pitch when his best mate is on the other team he just crumbles and I’ve noticed it a few times

[@JohnKobaRuddy]

And Joelinton also decides to Barrel into paqeuta too for no reason every time

[@coltonconner782]

@ getting stitched up

[@coltonconner782]

@@onestopdoc what’s done is done , I’m fed up with useless cu@ts , I don’t give a crap who we sign in January they will be shit or not get played Howe’s the biggest cu@t to manage any clubs he’s relegated them all

[@tomruddell-h7t]

Ridiculous, it's all on Eddie. The guy can just never seem to influence a game. We either play well with the crowd behind them Or he just throws on players hoping one of them will do something Same line up, same tactics no matter who we're playing. We applaud when they do well we need to be realistic when it fails. Kelly looks nowhere near good enough but is one of our highest earners. On eddie Not being able to shift anything tactically to get Italy's best midfielder into our team tells us everything about 1 dimensional Eddie. All he has is the team he stumbled upon in 22/23

[@tonyhughes4375]

Very harsh he made faultless signings initially which you completely ignore

[@tomruddell-h7t]

@ just because I highlight his obvious flaws doesn't mean he hasn't done anything that is good. Done some brilliant business, also some very questionable business. One highlighted last night, one of our top earners

[@kevinfinn9086]

Agree with your analysis Craig, the players let him down tonight poor finishing and those defensive mistakes but we glided through the first ten looking dangerous if we scored that offside goal it would have been different but it's worrying the way we struggle to break down deep defence

[@DanielCordone9]

Howe out

[@stevenmurray436]

I’m afraid Eddie is absolutely culpable. He has allowed too many players to outstay their time at the club, add to that some questionable signings (yes Kelly, looking at you) and poor in game management, and we have to say this could be his last season if we don’t get in to Europe.

[@DanielCordone9]

He'll be sacked in a few days

[@darrenbaillie186]

Rather than criticise Tonali how about we judge him when he actually gets a run of starts. Stop hounding him and hold Eddie accountable

[@badofcheese]

Crowd was as rotten as the team tonight. We have to do a lot better than that.

[@rocketiain84]

Place was rocking until most clocked 11 players were below par and howe was just going to sit back and accept it

[@garykilvington9417]

Sorry but you are talking nonsense about not changing the team for Palace Bruno needs to dropping and so does Longstaff replaced with Tonali and Miley not once in 20 mins did you mentioned about how limited a footballer Longstaff is you and the rest of the local press are quick to blow smoke out of his arse when he plays reasonably well but when he is shit no mention blame the subs and Gordon needs dropping for Palace but you know what he will pick the same players again and same formation but it won’t be the managers fault

[@JohnWilliamRobertson]

Said it before say it again until Eddy changes his philosophy of only signing /playing number 8s in midfield he will never build a team that challenges. He will have times when he qualifies for Europe because he has the rub of the green etc but not a team that challenges. There is not an elite manager in the world that does not play specialist number 6 and number 10s. And by that I do not mean number 8s that can do a job at 6 or 10 but actual specialists. Take no pleasure in saying it but it will be his downfall which is a pity because we owe him a lot

[@oldgeordiegeezer3086]

I understand how, now and again, the odd player can have a bad game, but Craig, explain to me how every player has a total mare of a game (including 5 subs) but the manager's not to blame? Every week we're having an "inquest" into this and a "discussion" about that. We have more inquests than Marcus Welby MD. I'm curious to know, Craig, how bad does it have to be before you will actually admit that maybe Eddie Howe has reached his sell-by date?

[@geordietoonforlife.1155]

Explain how it’s any managers fault if a player plays badly 🤷‍♂️it’s like me blaming someone in your family for you writing this comment 🤷‍♂️

[@oldgeordiegeezer3086]

@@geordietoonforlife.1155 According to your logic managers are never responsible for the team's performance and should never get sacked. Explain how 16 players all play badly at the same time?

[@craig-rp9jh]

You’re spot on there is very few issues with style of play or system we have a serious issue with finishing. Tbf every manager loses and We dont have salah gakpo and nunez to bail us out of 2 goal defecits.

[@terrybarton4407]

I agree with your boy, the passing in midfield was appalling.

[@gavindaly8193]

Gordon got his contract and feel off, isak wants big money yet doesn’t score chances haarland would

[@stephennutkin2477]

Haarland has been off the ball so no one is perfect

[@gavindaly8193]

@@stephennutkin2477 agree with u but come on he is elite finisher from anywhere round or in the box, isak is missing so many, isak is a cracking player, dribbling is elite on the guy but he should be scoring more with the chances he has and I mean that in the way of pay, he wants massive wages but he to put the ball in the net to do that

[@Johno731]

EH has to answer for that showing and collapse. Who does the finishing, crossing drills or the corners, EH or JT. Buck stops with EH. I have said it earlier and got slagged off but id go and get a young elite level manager in Van Nistlerooy who is available. The whole thing needs a reset. EH is a very flawed manager.

[@billmoore7137]

I think you need to get out of Howes arse and recognise he's not up to taking us any further.

[@daniel4224]

well said

[@DanielCordone9]

Howe out ​@@daniel4224

[@rogercookcouk]

An almost very strange game Craig. At times it looked like, with the ball, we were in training mode. They were hungrier. J7 looked lost on the right. We were heavily left biased. The swap over - Gordon from the left - worked initially. Definitely a "meh" game, so from the last 3 victories. Palace is suddenly huge. Tino and Hall my 2 performances. Tino defensively anyway.

[@DanielCordone9]

Livramento is a Championship player. Come on Palace

[@prodoktordank4102]

Well first longstaff became a passenger again ,Bruno is too comfortable now he knows even if he makes a mistake or plays bad he will still get picked (lack of competition) midfield wise ,Kelly must have been watching planes or summit for the first goal and no change in formation teams have caught onto us and yet again no will osula

[@andrewb1984]

We have one of the top strikers in Europe and we cant find a way to get the ball to him! We really need to start moving of the Howe favourites down to squad players and start taking the chance in the transfer market to get players in who know how to play a final ball. Our passing was easy to read and the final ball was terrible, not once did I think we were going to break them down. Schar needs to stop being encouraged to shoot from so far out also.

[@daniel4224]

Howe does seem to be able to motivate the players when we come up against "lesser" teams. this unacceptable inconsistency occurs time and time again. I can't see this ever changing under Howe, unfortunately.

[@TheBarrasOne]

I was expecting more from the crowd tonight, they seemed flat even before the goal - SJP should be an intimidating cauldron! The Key battle was Bruno Vs his mate Paquetá and the latter needs to be given huge credit - player of the match - Bowen caused chaos too! Keep the faith though 2 wins and all will be forgotten! #TTBAWA

[@willunderhill8783]

I’m not sure how anyone can say this isn’t on the manager and that they couldn’t see this result coming… Nottingham Forrest, Everton, Luton, Brighton, Bournemouth to name a few. Seen it all before, Howe cannot set a team up unless we are the underdogs and playing on the break. That second half was a complete and utter disgrace, looked like no one knew where they were playing or what the plan was. He’s had Tonali for over a year now, all be it mainly in training and he clearly has no idea how to use him. We’re going to be stuck with Lloyd Kelly for years as a third choice left sided centre back on over 100k a week. Once again I have absolutely no idea why we signed Harvey Barnes, unless you’re putting him through one on one I have no idea what he’s good at. We may beat Liverpool next week and the Howe love in will start again from the happy clappers. But come Leicester at home in the middle of December I’ll be fully expecting another performance and result like this one.

[@JackBurton3963]

“The underdogs and playing on the break”… that is classic Eddie Howe. Is this good enough for Newcastle? We want to play great football like Brighton and Tottenham.

[@danielwoodward9222]

I don't understand the Tonali starting debate because when the subs cames on none of them really impacted the match. I'm still of the belief that both Tonali and Bruno can't play together because we looked worse. I also question Bruno as a captain, because from the outside looking in there is no galvanising. I'd prefer to see Dan Burn or Trippier back as captain.

[@AtqueIter]

Hi Craig, you spoke about Gordon playing on the right. I think it's all to do with his England position. If Gordon was to perform brilliantly on the right for Newcastle, then I believe that is the position that he would start to be considered for England. In Gordon's mind he might well think Englands right side belongs to SAKA and that he couldn't shift him out of that position. Therefore sticking to the left for Newcastle improves his England prospects.

[@thebassmanreigns3870]

I agree that it's the players fault however West ham were clever the bottled up Bruno as a result the midfield were overrun Tonali looked like a passenger but so did the rest of the team Nice to see Wilson back

[@adamhopkins2976]

Why did Howe not go like for like Willock>Tonali? Last season he made a mistake shifting 3 players positions in bringing Krafth on and it cased the team to go ragged. This season he brings on a sub, shifts Joelinton's position AND shifts Gordon's position and second half we looked ragged again. I think in hindsight it would have been a better game for Barnes / Tonali to start but can't argue too much against sticking with the winning team. The big concern is Gordon for me. Shadow of the player he was last season, all his best performances have been for England this season. Just like NUFC at large he's played in moments. A pen vs City, a great cross vs Arsenal, energy and endeavour but levels below his best.

[@savdurrant5566]

So Craig are we not allowed to criticise the tactics and ingame of the manager, Longstaff is a shit player and the less he plays for the team the better,how can you have a player who plays so well for Italy and Ac Milan at his time is being bench by Longshite,i have had enough its time to move on from this manager

[@davidhuddart9262]

I think last night confirmed we are gonna finish mid table this season . Thought Pope should have saved the second goal , it wasn't a well struck shot and he has to save that imo .

[@dennisrocke3689]

Yet again as always great fair comment on all points,do we have an excuse being assembled for departures being more acceptable as results start going bad ,Jose raise his head for the job (hence Bobby Robson connection)just putting data together things have to be played out slowly Think financial reasons 🎉

[@alanthompson3780]

totally agreed graig ..we have only scored 13 goals all season it,s a major worry ..am on a fans forum and most of fans were saying 3-4-5-0 I just hate games like this when we are expected to win ..I did predict we would win 2.1 so am no genius ..but I have supported Newcastle 50 years and more and am still massively disappointed when we lose games like this because we know were not winning any thing again this season.. Will I ever see us when I trophy in my lifetime I don't know !..normal I say there is no chance of European football but 19 other teams are so inconsistent ...there is still every chance of making top 10 ? is that good enough who knows !

[@rogercookcouk]

I said 2-0 Alan.

[@MB-gl7fx]

Longstaff, Willock, Schar, Kelly and Murphy are consistently poor… Not sure what’s going on with Gordon but he looks a shadow of himself, Isak being compared to Shearer and Henry is laughable.. Incredibly bad performance coupled with a poor team selection and no plan B in terms of game plan… What a crap season so far.

[@mikem9309]

I think Schar has been solid and reliable. needs to give up dreams of being a stiker but that aside he's been good.

[@silvafox7719]

Our players never come back from internationals looking good. Eddie will get them training again and we'll see some better performances with a full weeks training. Wilson back is good as it'll give Isak some rest and some competition. Osula still baffles me. We needed legs for now not in a years time. Delap wouild have been a better option for a fraction more.

[@davidrobinson2776]

For me, we should have signed Paqueta or Maddison when we had the chance. Instead we got Tonali. I think he should be sold as he contributes very little and is fast becoming the new Hugo Viana. Jonjo Shelvey offered more than him in midfield.

[@mikem9309]

@ I think he is very good but hasn’t been given any chance to make a place for himself in the team. The issue is playing him and Bruno together somehow.

[@DanielCordone9]

Gordon is a Championship player. Saint Maximin is better

[@ThomasHumes-u3n]

Monday night was far more about attitude than tactics. I was happy at half time but the second half was horrendous - chaos’s and panic from the manager and woeful approach from the star players at 0-2. They need to own responsibility instead of pointing at others, they think they are better than they are at times and need a manager to slap them into place - Howe can’t do that and that’s the biggest concern on him.

[@Silverarrow2]

I have lost faith now I am afraid 😔

[@tonymckenzie3091]

Kelly had a nightmare, Willock had one of his bad ones, Schar's passing was off, Longstaff looked lost, Isak had the wrong boots on and Gordon kept making the wrong decisions....Tino and Hall our best players, Big Joe showed some good touches, Barnes tried when he came but got no where and Tonali needs to start playing full 90 and get him bedded into the team. We have a both a Brazil and Italy international midfielders and its our midfield that has been the biggest let down this season....that is down to EH

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

The players should have capitalised on their chances in the first half and I've no issues with the starting line-up, but Howe has to be to blame for the change to 4-4-2 which took the sting out of the game entirely and which I'm a bit surprised isn't mentioned at all. In that formation you need two central midfielders who can support all the attacking we did down the wings, and Bruno can't run beyond the 70th minute and Tonali just shadows him when they're on the pitch together.

[@andyBbuckley]

We're desperate for a Midfield passer, someone to pick the lock when teams sit back against us. Citeh have de Bruyne, Liverpool have Szoboslai, Spurs have Maddison, Chelsea have Palmer and Man United have Fernandes. That's why they'll all finish above us. We're going to have to go away from being so transitional, particularly at home.

[@TheIncredibleBeard_]

We have Bruno. The problem is we have decided to use him as a cart horse.

[@audreyhall8644]

We have Tonali. But Howe doesnt play him

[@andyBbuckley]

@audreyhall8644 not a passer, never had any reputation as a creative outlet in Italy, he's a box to box engine for the national side.

[@andyBbuckley]

@TheIncredibleBeard_ a great player, not a craftsman. He's got 30 assists in a 297 game career in Brazil, France, and England

[@audreyhall8644]

@andyBbuckley you must have had blinkers on for the Forest game.

[@adrianbromfild8624]

The performance last night was diabolical against a very poor team and that is because Howe has run out of ideas and I would suggest you need to write an article highlighting the shortcomings of the incumbent manager and why a change of leadership is urgently required

[@DanielCordone9]

West Ham will finish above us. They have better players. Soler is class

[@paulrobson4708]

Always on the button Craig Down to players

[@michaelmckie9164]

Barnes on for Willock was a bad call. Ruined the formation (whatever was supposed to be) and didn’t help us control the midfield it game. Should have brought Tonali on at that point. Was a panic move and led to more and more panic. 433 has also become 442. Too easy to play against without a ‘proper CDM’.

[@phoenixrisin5848]

We all expected to win easily yet West Ham were excellent, it's kinda how the premier league has been this season. Only Liverpool have managed to put a few consecutive good results together. Goals change games, Kelly made Dan burn look like Bobby Moore ! And Bowen was quality, we brought Murphy on, the gulf in class was huge. Think last night was a reality check tbh, wouldn't surprise me if we lost on Saturday then beat Liverpool.

[@davidgraham1782]

Watching us at home this season has been tedious. Barely score any goals.

[@deanyoung2486]

Our star players need to stand up and be counted, we were awful on Monday from as soon as they scored, West Ham gained confidence as we drained in confidence. We played Ed decent for an hour, but never looked like breaking the low block-again! Eddie needs to address this, as the premier league is unforgiving, when you are found out

[@paunixon]

WHUFC fan here. Didn't expect that at all. JL changed things today. Feel Howe was perhaps guilty of expecting Lop to repeat his usual tactics and formation (as was every WH fan!). Lop changed the formation, player/position and the team had an energy we haven't seen. AWB is being expected to play a different way -getting forward up the r.wing- which up to now hasn't worked at all, but today the team seemed to click. Perhaps harsh on Kelly; credit to Soucek who made a god fake move, backed up and went again. Kelly lost him. Not sure it was entirely Kelly's fault. For the first time we had a midfield. While you lot were unlucky not to get a penalty, and missed a sitter, I do feel West Ham deserved it. Wish you luck.

[@oldloafandyoung]

Inconsistency seems to be the issue. You're right when we play better sides and we don't have so much of the ball, we are better. I think it's a major issue. It's not really acceptable.

[@katwoodytham8314]

Didn’t we get thrashed by Chelsea with Tonali playing? I agree the team selection was not the problem. Lloyd Kelly was way too passive, and after giving away 2 goals his confidence was shot. But who else do we have in that position? Lack of recruitment has come to haunt us. The forwards were close to scoring…

[@brianhamilton262]

i like many others have always had faith in Eddie and his team , however you have to ask the question how we are in a situation where we had down the left Joelinton , Willock , Gordon , Anderson , Barnes fighting for two places and down the right we have Longstaff , Almiron and Murphy fighting for two places , At a time when PSR is crucial, right recruitment is vital , we are now in a situation where we are trying to fit square pegs into round holes because of poor recruitment , Barnes is great to have , but we didnt need him , the right side needed improving first. the team is unbalanced because there is no quality down the right side infront of Tino. Was Eddie or the recruitment team to blame?

[@gregwalsh2045]

The problem for me goes back to the summer and it’s RW. We keep tinkering with that RW position and we don’t have any one of quality to naturally play there. Joelinton wasn’t the solution, Gordon downs tools when he is out there, Murphy not quality enough. We keep shoehorning people there which means we cannot have patterns of play - remember the CL qualifying season, you could recognise the patterns of play and they worked

[@fizzysausage]

Can’t disagree with most of that Craig, but it did feel a bit desperate when we started throwing Wilson and Murphy on with the clear instruction of early cross. Murphy does not have the quality for that and I think we should have perhaps stuck with big Joe or moved Gordon to the right with those instructions of early cross. Wilson did ok I thought. I just wince every time I see him sprint, expecting something to pop. I actually think Wilson did injure himself with a few minutes to go but was too embarrassed to call it.. do t think he will be available for Palace.. let’s see Thanks for the post match breakdown as always. Keep up the pre match feeds on WhatsApp too 👊😉

[@davidrobinson2776]

I think the criticism is coming because we can only play one way, as underdogs on the counter attack. When we are expected to batter teams, it becomes clear how one dimensional we are. Remember under Keegan we never felt like underdogs, the same as under Sir Bobby. This was because our manager was a proven winner with a massive personality and ruthless streak. They always put Newcastle United as a team above individual players and it is no surprise Keegan and Robson got closest to winning the title. I think we need a manager who is bigger than the players, who has been there and done that either as a footballer or as a manager.

[@craigsteyn6099]

How long can you defend Howe for? The reality is that he makes the final selection and substitutes.

[@searchterminatorseed2301]

Gordon gets put into a pedestal too much, Barnes should been our LW this season considering the start, Gordon coming back late & Barnes performances.

[@esembee7717]

For me, I can take the 2-0 defeat, but it's the manner of how they played after the subs and second goal. I was expecting a bit of a push for a grandstand finish, and it was summed up by the empty seats at the end.

[@PaulFranks-cx3yd]

According to the 'Happy clappers' when Newcastle win Howe is a genius and the 'Howe-outers' should shut it, when we lose it's the players / international break / VAR / position of uranus that's to blame. Howe got lucky last year against West Ham but lightning doesn't strike twice

[@paulkay8986]

We need technicians like Tonali to start getting the best out of Isak. We need the whole team to chip in with goals over a season. Where exactly are the goals going to come from in midfield? Scoring five a season amongst the chosen three just isn't enough. Like Craig has said, we need players who can unlock defences. I know that Willock has just come back recently, but he's got to start consistently dictating the passage of play. He goes MIA far to often. Sign a top quality striker in January and then we can consider playing 4-4-2 when the situation suits us...

[@YewRiNator]

We rely too much on our “intensity is our identity”, we cannot play football when we have the majority of possession. Have to find a balance between his Bournemouth front foot days and his Athletico Madrid training.. Its really confusing to me since Howe’s Bournemouth team used to play good football, on the front foot. We need an attacking midfielder to link play, because our wingers receive the ball far to wide and have to cut in when their defender is already facing them up. The only service Isak gets is over the top.

[@Angus-f2v]

I’m not normally one for suspicion. I live in North Shields. Yesterday morning I was walking to Morrisons and past Malcolm McDonalds house and spotted one Magpie in his garden. This made me think. No im not superstitious. Well maybe there is something in this.

[@ma6579]

A lack of a final ball, a lack of killer instinct and seemingly a lack of belief, which seems really strange to me. I don’t think we were a million miles away though. These players need to pick up their performances, it’s as simple as that.

[@coatsy24]

I think most people would have started Joelinton on the left and would’ve had Tonali over Longstaff mind Craig.

[@brianaustin8989]

Eddy's problem is he never has a plan B. It is a common denominator if you look back on the games conceded. He is a good coach but manager, is open to question.

[@zepherreload]

I'm sorry, but lomgstaff went back to his old self, and this is why I hate him. Kelly is a terrible defender, worst buy we've ever had. Gordon didn't play well. They tried to force stupid passes, willock tbh was horrendous. Howe made another mistake. Longstaff should lose his place for good. He never tackles, and I'm sick of him just following players and doing nothing. Hall was the best player of the night.

[@pauljoyner6489]

Hate?

[@zepherreload]

@pauljoyner6489 yup, as a player yes, he's over paid and overrated, he has a few ok games a season.

[@rrstows3522]

Did not buy Kelly freebie from Bournemouth

[@damienreilly4347]

Lomgstaff and lonfstaff eh? Jeez, someone really hates him

[@zepherreload]

@@damienreilly4347 so pick the fact I had to type it fast because I was at work. Do you feel good? Lol

[@katwoodytham8314]

Quite frankly I think West Ham were lucky not to be 4-0 down in the first 15 minutes. Kelly was the problem. Gordon was tracking back doing the work that Willock didn’t do, snd almost scored. On another day…

[@johnhampton6462]

Perhaps teams have just worked us out... If we are getting beat at half time it's Barnes for Willock and Tonali for Longstaff..

[@robferriday9945]

I think the CB's and the notorious RW position is causing us problems. Schar is not having a good season I'm afraid and that RW spot is just a piss take at this point - Gordon needs to be kept and LW to allow him be consistent. I also think Tonali from the start instead of Willock. We knew West Ham were going sit back

[@katzrus3]

Anthony Gordon will want another 25k in the morning.

[@darrenbaillie186]

Before I watch this I hope Eddie is top of the blame list

[@kevin4havis]

I thought the midfield were very poor. There is no sign of a positive build up in possession. I can't remember them making 6/7 passes in a build up.😢

[@johnglaister5851]

The current squad hasn't been strengthened in the right areas for at least two windows. Eddie must take some blame for not moving some players on and not getting better players in. The way we play has become predictable and we have struggled to score goals most of this season....yet Eddie was obsessed with blowing £70m on Guehi!

[@gavinblenkinsop6250]

The irony is that the one player with a good pass in them is the player that Howe has dropped. Tonali is the best passer in our midfield. Newcastle have become too predictable to play against because Howe only plays one way. He wants a team that holds onto the ball etc but we play better when playing on the break. Is his stubbornness to change things be a factor in the long term when we continue to under perform or will he continue to get a free pass?

[@terrybutler1096]

The. first game after an international break we always play badly.

[@Duarenteed]

Eddie dragged us from religion to smashing psg with XG. But if teams are doing City by crowding the box?. Go old school sometimes. And put a cross in.

[@prodoktordank4102]

Also we always try to get the perfect goals just have few shots from distance and play the rebound it can be done lool at joelintons goal before the break he took a chance and it went look how many times bowen outside the box took the shot yeah he missed but he was trying