Alan Shearer – an iconic figure at St James’ Park – was far from pleased after the result and said Newcastle were deserving losers, praising Fulham and tearing into the Magpies
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer didn’t hold back after the club’s disappointing 3-1 loss to Fulham on Saturday, insisting the Magpies “got what they deserved”.
Eddie Howe’s side looked off the pace at Craven Cottage, going 2-0 down in the first 22 minutes thanks to goals from Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe, before Harvey Barnes pulled one back just after the interval.
But Newcastle could not inspire themselves to a comeback as Marco Silva’s men netted a third in stoppage time through Reiss Nelson to restore their two-goal cushion and confirm a thumping win.
Fulham’s victory was even more impressive given that Newcastle had previously won three of their first four games of the season – drawing the other – though they were beaten by the better side in west London.
Shearer – an iconic figure at St James’ Park who played over 400 times for the club – was far from pleased after the result and said the team were deserving losers, praising Fulham and tearing into the away side.
“That was awful from Newcastle,” the former striker wrote on social media. “Got what they deserved. Fulham much much better.”
The BBC pundit, who managed the club during an ill-fated spell in 2008 that saw the club get relegated from the Premier League, often makes his feelings known about the team and won’t hold back about them after a poor performance.
Shearer said Newcastle were “awful” at Craven Cottage
Newcastle are still sitting comfy in sixth place with 10 points from five games, but manager Eddie Howe insists the team have “work to do” if they are to meet their goals this season.
“That first half was tough,” he said after the game. “We responded really well in the second half and chased the game effectively until the end. We need to reflect on that and analyse it properly.
When asked why he thought big name stars like Bruno Guimaraes didn’t deliver, he added: “From my perspective, you analyse everyone fairly and independently. There are no big name stars within the group.
“Everyone is contributing the same effort. You need your players to play well to win games and clearly that wasn’t the case today especially the first half. We have work to do.”
