Eddie Howe admits Newcastle United 'concern' as Alan Shearer delivers home truths to Premier League
Newcastle United were beaten 3-1 at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle United’s defeat at West Ham United has left Eddie Howe’s side languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table after 10 games.
Three wins, 12 points, 10 goals and no away win since April is a cause for concern, given The Magpies finished fifth and qualified for the Champions League last season.
Newcastle return to Champions League action on Wednesday night against Athletic Club at St James’ Park (8pm kick-off) before travelling to Brentford on Sunday, looking to pick up their first Premier League away win of the season.
Failure to win at the Gtech Community Stadium risks Newcastle heading into the November international break sitting just above the relegation zone, should results go against them. And after the international break, the host Manchester City, a side Howe has taken two out of a possible 54 points from as a Premier League manager.
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Eddie Howe admits Premier League ‘concern’ for Newcastle United
When asked if he was concerned by Newcastle’s league form in the opening months of the season, Howe said: “Of course it's a concern when you're not where you want to be because you're always sort of in a position where you're chasing results and I feel that's where we are at the moment.
“We haven't hit our rhythm in the Premier League, not consistently. We've had some highs, certainly [West Ham defeat] is a low. We're searching for that consistency that you need.
“But when we go from competition to competition, of course, the focus changes very quickly and you don't have long to get back into Premier League mode. So that's a challenge that we have to adapt to better.”
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Alan Shearer slams NUFC performance
Newcastle legend and Premier League pundit Alan Shearer slammed the performance as West Ham as one of the club’s worst in Howe’s four years as manager.
“It was as bad as I’ve seen under Eddie [Howe] for a long time,” Shearer said via the Premier League’s official coverage. “Some players need to look at themselves, they need to think they can’t always have the St. James’s Park energy.