Alan Shearer drops BOMBSHELL saying Newcastle was totally poor beside Fulham because…….
Club legend Alan Shearer has shared his thoughts on Newcastle’s internal conflict following their 3-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday.
The Magpies suffered their first loss of the season, conceding first-half goals to Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe. Although Harvey Barnes reduced the deficit shortly after halftime, Reiss Nelson sealed a deserved win for Fulham in stoppage time.
This defeat comes amid behind-the-scenes tension at St James’ Park, with sporting director Paul Mitchell recently criticizing the club’s transfer strategy. Eddie Howe has since defended Newcastle’s recent recruitment efforts.
Shearer believes the ongoing conflict between Howe and Mitchell is affecting the team’s on-field performance, and he feels the loss to Fulham had been looming.
“What’s going on off the pitch is an issue,” Shearer said on *The Rest is Football* podcast. “We’ve mentioned before about the sporting director and Eddie. Unless that gets sorted out, it will impact performances on the pitch… it always does. Boardroom disputes trickle down and need to be resolved.”
Commenting on the Fulham game, Shearer added: “They were terrible in the first half, absolutely dreadful. Yes, they had three wins and a draw before this, but this was a reality check. They haven’t really played well all season; they’ve been getting by on team spirit. Once they start playing well, things will come together.
“They didn’t deserve anything from the game. They improved slightly in the second half, but Fulham were much better and deserved the win.”
Despite not hitting their stride, Newcastle have managed 10 points from their opening five matches, currently sitting sixth in the table. However, maintaining a spot in the European places will be challenging, with upcoming league games against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
Newcastle’s Carabao Cup clash against AFC Wimbledon, scheduled for tonight, was postponed due to severe flooding at the League Two club’s stadium.