Ally McCoist did not hold back in his assessment of Manchester United after a 10th defeat of the season across all competitions for Erik ten Hag's side.
In many ways, it was one of United's worst performances of the season. The Red Devils failed to lay a glove on their hosts for the overwhelming majority of the contest, while their own defence and goalkeeper were called in to action on a number of occasions. Newcastle dominated the first-half, but it wasn't until the 55th minute when they finally broke the deadlock.
Anthony Gordon ghosted in at the back post to slot home from close range after Kieran Trippier created a glorious opportunity with a low, driven pass across the face of goal. United can consider themselves fortunate that the scoreline remained just 1-0.
After the game, McCoist issued a stark warning for the United boss, teling TNT Sport: "He knows he’s got a problem if he gets that kind of performance from Manchester United again. Miles off it, absolutely miles off it.
"From my point of view, apart from the two centre-backs, you can’t give pass marks to anybody really. It’s a horrible thing to level at professional footballers, when you’re questioning commitment and a desire to run about, but that’s the question you’ve got to ask of some of the Manchester United players this evening I’m afraid."
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McCoist's sentiments were echoed by fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas, who expressed concerns over the way United's players looked out on the pitch. "I personally thought that tonight, there were signs that, there were a couple of players who weren’t happy with the tactics or their positions on the pitch, but the body language of the team tells you a lot… and there was a few who were sending a message to the manager, I thought.
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Marcus Rashford was one of many Man Utd players to receive criticism after a disastrous display at Newcastle (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)"Marcus Rashford in particular, on the right, the way that he just walked around, you know throwing his arms around. For me that said ‘look, I don’t want to be playing on this right-hand side. No tracking back. You had Martial getting ran past by Fabian Schar, going into midfield, doing what he wants.
"There were too many of those moments. He seems a disciplinarian off the pitch Erik ten Hag, but I didn’t see that same level of respect from the players on the pitch today, and that’s a big concern."
The defeat marked United's 10th loss of the season across all competitions and the scrutiny surrounding Ten Hag is not likely to quieten any time soon. When asked if the squad was 'playing for the manager', McCoist issued an even more scathing review.
“Do you know something,” came back McCoist. “You said ‘are they playing for him?’ And I really dislike that, because it’s nothing to do with the manager, right. When you step over that white line you play for yourself and those 5,000 fans who’ve come and travelled.
Asked if the players were letting themselves down, the Scotsman added: “Of course they are, 100 percent. Nevermind letting the manager down or not carrying out his instructions, you play for yourself first of all; the manager picks the side.
"I played for lots of coaches I didn’t get on very well with. The fact is you get on that pitch, you represent yourself, your family and the supporters - that’s who you play for. You’ve got to represent them and do it in a manner that we didn’t see tonight."
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