I had to laugh at this BBC Sport ‘analysis’ on Newcastle United.
It is now five games and five weeks into the season.
Newcastle United have just deservedly won 1-0 against a previously unbeaten Brentford side who had scored eight goals in four games, yet this is the nonsense the BBC Sport journalist comes out with.
BBC Sport report – 17 September 2023:
Analysis: Newcastle 1-0 Brentford
Timothy Abraham, BBC Sport
‘The Magpies were far from their best against Brentford but they returned to winning ways after a run of three straight defeats.
Few on Tyneside had questioned Eddie Howe’s position as manager despite that sequence of results.
However, this win should keep the wolves from the door and allow the Toon army to enjoy the first instalment of their European adventure without that issue dominating the conversation.’
I am not disputing the bit about Newcastle United being ‘far from their best’ against Brentford, because it was a far from flowing dazzling performance. More a gritty win full of characterthat saw Newcastle deservedly win and keep a clean sheet against a very good unbeaten team, who had scored in all of their first four matches and had scored eight goals in total.
Instead, I take issue with ‘Few on Tyneside had questioned Eddie Howe’s position’
It wasn’t ‘few’ Newcastle fans thinking Eddie Howe could / should be sacked after winning one and losing three games at the start of the season, it was none.
Nobody likes seeing their team losing games but no genuine Newcastle United fan was equating that to sacking Eddie Howe, it was the media! That’s right, it is simply laughable, they do this all the time. Journalists were writing about Eddie Howe under pressure and questioning whether his job was safe, not the fans! They do this time after time, write stuff and then later pretend it was Newcastle supporters who said stuff.
No doubt if you quizzed this BBC Sport bloke or other journalists writing similar nonsense, they would dig up ‘proof’ along the lines of how a Tweet by Toon Tommy (In reality ‘Mackem Mick’) after the Brighton defeat had said ‘Edy How shud b sakked’
The BBC Sport man declaring that ‘this win should keep the wolves from the door’, which to me is just a sly way of claiming that this is definitely only a temporary reprieve for Eddie Howe, that if say Newcastle lose in Milan then the ‘wolves’ will be back again at his door demanding he is sacked. Those wolves supposedly us – Newcastle fans!
Then he adds about Eddie Howe’s job supposedly having been under threat, ‘without that issue dominating the conversation’, which to me once again is simply him slyly suggesting that despite the win over Brentford, a proportion of Newcastle fans will still be talking about the possibility of Howe getting sacked BUT it not being talked about (dominating) all the time.
No Newcastle United fans were talking about Eddie Howe getting sacked and nor are they doing so now. Like every other manager his job depends on results but losing to three of the other five clubs who finished top six last season, two of them away from home, does not equal his job under threat.
The media tried exactly the same thing on back in early March, when after losing only one of his last 24 Premier League matches, Eddie Howe saw NUFC lose consecutive PL games to Liverpool and Man City with a loss at Wembley to Man U in between them. They claimed Newcastle United fans were now wondering if Eddie Howe could / should be sacked.
Before this recent trio of defeats, Eddie Howe had lost only two of his previous 15 NUFC matches and won 10 of them, with three draws.
As things stand now, Newcastle United are above Manchester United and this is despite NUFC having had a far tougher set of opening fixtures. Yet do you see journalists going after Erik ten Hag and claiming Man Utd fans want him sacked?
So far Newcastle United have played the teams who last season finished 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th, that averages out as playing a fifth placed team.
Man Utd have played the teams who finished 2nd, 6th, 8th, 13th and 16th, averaging out as playing the ninth placed team. Plus the two wins they have had against Wolves and Forest were each by a single goal winning margin and both massively helped by very very dubious decisions by match officials.
What makes the whole thing with journalists and Eddie Howe all the more embarrassing, is the way they (the media) used to go on when Newcastle fans pointed out how useless Steve Bruce was, the football terrible and going on horrendous runs of form, such as in December 2020 – January 2021 there was a run of 11 Newcastle matches with no wins, nine defeats and two draws, yet it was Newcastle fans that journalists targeted, saying we were a disgrace for pointing how useless ‘great bloke’ Steve Bruce was and that we should actually be grateful to have such an excellent manager!!!
I think it is patently obvious that so many in the media, especially the London-centric heart of it, are absolutely desperate for Newcastle United to fail, for the fans to be unhappy and for a great manager such as Eddie Howe to be sacked.
No wonder they are continually trying to sow so many seeds of discontent amongst Newcastle supporters and trying to convince outsiders that fans have been calling for Eddie Howe to be replaced, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Stats from BBC Sport:
Newcastle 1 Brentford 0 – Saturday 16 September 5.30pm
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Wilson 64 pen
Brentford:
Possession was Brentford 43% Newcastle 57%
Total shots were Brentford 11 Newcastle 9
Shots on target were Brentford 2 Newcastle 2
Corners were Brentford 8 Newcastle 3
Referee: Craig Pawson
Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Bruno, Longstaff, Anderson, Gordon, Wilson, Barnes (Almiron 83)
SUBS:
Dubravka, Lascelles, Tonali, Targett, Isak, Hall, Livramento, Murphy
Crowd: 51,670 (Brentford approx 700)
(Thomas Frank blames match officials for Newcastle United defeat – Expects an apology – Read HERE)
(Newcastle 1 Brentford 0 – Instant NUFC fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)
(Newcastle 1 Brentford 0 – Match ratings and comments on all of the NUFC players – Read HERE)
