Eddie Howe explains why Nick Woltemade & Anthony Gordon were subbed for Newcastle United - this is not good
Newcastle United substituted Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon at half-time at West Ham United on Sunday.
Eddie Howe felt Newcastle United’s first-half performance at West Ham United on Sunday warranted a triple half-time change.
Newcastle led early through a Jacob Murphy goal before Lucas Paqueta and a Sven Botman own goal saw West Ham lead 2-1 at the break.
At half-time, Howe substituted Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon, Newcastle’s two top scorers in all competitions this season, in place of William Osula and Jacob Ramsey. Emil Krafth also made way for Fabian Schar at the break as part of a half-time reshuffle.
But the tactical tweak didn’t help Newcastle’s cause as they were unable to get back into the game before Tomas Soucek wrapped up the win for The Hammers deep into stoppage time.
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Eddie Howe explains half-time changes v West Ham
Newcastle have struggled for goals in the Premier League this season, scoring just 10 in their opening 10 matches.
So taking off Woltemade and Gordon, who have scored 10 goals between them in all competitions, was a decision questioned at full-time.
While Woltemade has scored four in the Premier League, all of Gordon’s goals have come in the Champions League with his last league goal coming back in January.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Howe suggested Gordon’s substitution was due to a minor hip issue. But speaking to the media in his press conference after the match, the Newcastle boss claimed his changes came about due to frustration at his side’s performance.
“Yeah, I was really disappointed with the first half, I mean it started so well, we scored early and we thought we could really grab hold of the game from that moment,” Howe said when asked about his substitutions.
“But we didn't, we let it slip away and the longer that half went on the more frustrated I was with our performance and we were unrecognisable I think in certain aspects of our game, so I made the change to try and bring some energy and a different dynamic to the team, a different feeling and different relationships on the pitch.
“I thought we were better in the second half, I don't think we were particularly great though and that's why we didn't get back in the game.”
When pressed on the specific personnel taken off, Howe responded: “Well that was the frustrating thing about the first half, I almost could have taken anyone off and I think that was a reflection of where we were in that moment in the game and it's very, very rare for me to feel that way.
“In fact, I don't think I have since I've been manager of Newcastle, so I felt the team needed some shaking up at half-time, that's why I did what I did.”
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Newcastle United looking for a Champions League reaction
Newcastle’s busy fixture schedule continues on Wednesday evening as they host Athletic Club in the Champions League at St James’ Park (8pm kick-off).
The Magpies have won their previous two matches in the competition 4-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise and 3-0 against Benfica but have been unable to translate that scoring form into the Premier League.
“I want to see a response and I want to see an honesty because that's what we've built all our success on,” Howe continued.