26 December 2023 , 16:57
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Newcastle legend Alan Shearer pulled no punches in his assessment of Newcastle's latest display after they were beaten at home by Nottingham Forest.
It's turning into a harrowing festive period of Eddie Howe's side. Amid a mounting injury list, they went out of the League Cup at Chelsea on penalties and followed that up by being beaten 1-0 by Luton Town on Saturday.
They seemed on course for a return to form at St James' Prk when Alexander Isak converted a first-half penalty midway through the first half, before Forest forward Chris Wood tapped in a deserved equaliser against his former club.
Wood, who was Howe's second signing on Tyneside, struck again with a neatly chipped finish after the break, and capped a superb individual display with another composed finish to seal the points. It leaves Newcastle seventh in the table seven points off the top four and struggling to make Champions League football for a second straight season.
But while many have cited a host of absentees and a gruelling schedule for Newcastle's loss of form, Shearer wasn't so sympathetic. Reacting to the result on social media, he posted: "Brilliant Forest. Shocking Newcastle."
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The words represent a change in tone from the BBC pundit towards the club where he remains the record goalscorer. Prior to their European exit, eventually finishing fourth in their group, he'd reacted angrily to a crucial late PSG equaliser in Paris that ultimately cost Newcastle dear.
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But rather than bemoan luck, his latest analysis was brutal. And his sentiments were echoed by a host of Newcastle fans as their side's season threatens to unravel.
January now appears a daunting month for Howe, who takes his side to Anfield to play Liverpool on New Year's Day. That game comes just five days before what promises to be a high-octane North-East derby in the FA Cup when the Premier League side visit Sunderland.
The two fixtures that follow are a home clash with champions Manchester City and then a trip to Aston Villa. Howe himself remained upbeat after the defeat, insisting his side would move on: "I am already analysing what happened today and as always we look to improve. Hopefully we get some training time now."