Alan Shearer Blackburn
Newcastle United faced a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne Derby on Sunday. The loss, marked by a headed own goal from Nick Woltemade, left the Magpies struggling against their local rivals. Alan Shearer, the Newcastle legend, expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance, describing it as “rotten” and “pathetic.”
Alan Shearer said: “Newcastle were dreadful. They were rotten. And I was really shocked at how bad they were because, I mean, that is pathetic in any game, let alone in a derby game. Seriously, you’re going to play in the biggest game of the season at your rivals… and you’ve heard all the players all week, ‘We know how much it means to the fans and we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that’. Well, lads, they did nothing. They were awful, honestly.”
Shearer continued: “And Eddie made some big calls team-wise and I thought Eddie got it wrong as well. Elanga was awful. Gordon was awful. Woltemade was awful. And they offered nothing in forward positions. There was no desire, there was no energy, there was nothing. You go away to Sunderland – who aren’t a great team – and after half an hour Sunderland had about 70% possession… I was thinking, ‘Am I missing something here? Are we going away to Arsenal or Man City here?’. We’re going away to Sunderland … Are we going to have a pop at them or what? Have a go at least There was nothing from Newcastle. It was really, really awful.”
He added: “They [Sunderland] deserved to win. They were up for the fight. They had the energy. They won every second ball. They won every challenge. Well done, yeah. Newcastle were terrible. It’s a derby game! You can’t have one team at it and one not. If you’re going to get beaten, you get beaten going down having a scrap. We had a scrap with a minute to go. That was the only scrap I saw. I would prefer that to what happened in the first minute than the last minute. You can’t say, ‘It’s a derby game’. Yeah, it is a derby game. So you need to be fighting, scrapping from the off. Not in the 90th minute when it’s too late. They [Sunderland] deserved the points. They deserved it more than Newcastle.”
Shearer concluded: “As much as it pains me, by the way, I have to say Dan Ballard, I thought, was absolutely exceptional and has been all season. Granit Xhaka has been amazing. To bring all those players in and to knit them together and to then get them to understand what it means to play for that football club, and then go out and fight and scrap in the way they did. Yeah, well done him [Regis Le Bris] and well done them. They’re having a brilliant season as much as it hurts me to see it.”
Shearer’s comments highlight the frustration and disappointment felt by Newcastle fans following the derby loss. The Magpies’ lack of energy and desire was evident as Sunderland dominated possession and won crucial battles on the field. The criticism also extends to manager Eddie Howe, whose tactical decisions were questioned by Shearer. Despite the defeat, Sunderland’s performance was commendable, with players like Dan Ballard and Granit Xhaka receiving praise for their contributions. This victory adds to Sunderland’s impressive season, showcasing their ability to compete at a high level.
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