Newcastle United fell to a damaging 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday at St James’ Park, and Alan Shearer wasn’t afraid to point the finger on BBC’s Match of the Day
Luke Thrower Trends Writer
09:44, 08 Feb 2026
Alan Shearer has given a damning verdict on Eddie Howe and Newcastle’s transfers(Image: BBC Sport)
Alan Shearer admits Eddie Howe is facing his toughest spell since taking the Newcastle United job, while he also put some blame for the team’s poor form on the summer’s recruitment. The Newcastle icon’s assessment comes after the Magpies were booed off at St James’ Park following their 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday evening.
Goals from Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes gave Newcastle a hint of hope at a possible return to winning ways, but they were punished by the Bees. Vitaly Janelt and Igor Thiago found the back of the net before Dango Ouattara’s late strike handed the visitors all three points.
It’s a damaging defeat that leaves Newcastle on just 33 points after 25 games, sitting just as close to the bottom three as they are to fifth in the Premier League. With three defeats in a row, Howe is now facing a battle to turn the tide and get his team moving in the right direction again.
However, for Shearer, a lot of the damage was done for Newcastle over the summer transfer window in a damning assessment of the club. Yoane Wissa has come in for criticism of late since returning to fitness, while Jacob Ramsey has struggled to show his best form after joining from Aston Villa.
Speaking on the BBC’s Match of the Day, Shearer said: “He’s [Howe] having a really tough time, the toughest time since he’s been at Newcastle.
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“But I think it was a tough situation in the summer, we know with the Isak situation, and with no sporting director. But there’s no doubt, their summer signings, other than Malick Thiaw, haven’t worked as yet.
“They’ve spent an absolute fortune on four players and they’re yet to get anywhere near the heights that they did at other football clubs. And that is a huge problem for Eddie and for Newcastle, and until they solve that, I’m not sure it will get better.”
It’s certainly a challenge for Howe to overcome, with time and perhaps patience starting to wear thing after a disappointing run of results. For now, the Newcastle board are not set to make any kneejerk reaction on the future of the manager, giving the Englishman some time to turn things around.
Whether that same privilege will be given to Howe by the fans is unclear, however, with their discontent clear to hear from the stands on Saturday evening. “No, I don’t think so,” the head coach told the press when he was asked about any concerns with losing fan support.
Eddie Howe is under increasing pressure and scrutiny at Newcastle(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images))
“Because I think if we perform, the crowd will back us and they’ll be with us every step of the way. I’ve got no issue with their reaction today. They’re reacting to what we deliver, so I don’t see that being a problem.”
There’s a quick turnaround for Newcastle to get back to winning ways, as they take on Tottenham on Tuesday night. Spurs are under mounting pressure themselves, as they sit 14th with just 29 points to their name, and with another difficult defeat to Manchester United over the weekend.
That may be seen as now or never for the Magpies to secure a Champions League place next season, while a turn in form will still be needed for any form of European qualification. Fortunately, there are other avenues for the club to find some joy, beyond the Premier League.
Newcastle are back in FA Cup action over the weekend, where a win over Aston Villa would progress them into the next round of the competition. Then there’s the Champions League itself, as Howe’s side take on Qarabag in a two-legged affair with hopes of reaching the round of 16.
While winning those trophies remains a distant dream for now, the quality to go on a cup run is there and doesn’t need to be as consistent as the league season. That could end up being a saving grace for Howe, during this tricky spell.