Roshan Nayak

Newcastle Fans Furious After Eddie Howe Defends Dan Burn Decision with Height Excuse

Eddie Howe, Newcastle United

The Magpies have had a very rough start to the Premier League 25/26 season. They are currently placed 14th in the table with 12 points, having won only 3 games, drawing 3 and losing 5 in 11 matches so far this season.

The Toones did also have a pretty good summer transfer window where they bought players like Nick Woltemade, Malick Thiaw, Yoanne Wissa, Anthony Elanga and a few more. They also did sell Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British transfer record fee which was reportedly said to be around £150 million.

Having finished 5th last season and qualifying for the Champions League as a result, fans would’ve surely hoped that the performances would have lived up to those expectations in this season, but, only to their dismay, they saw their team go down with another defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday.

Newcastle lost 3-1 to Brentford, thanks to an Igor Thiago’s brace and Kevin Schade’s opener for the Bees. It went even more downhill for the Magpies when their veteran defender, Dan Burn, was sent off in the 73rd minute of the game for a foul on Dango Ouattara inside the penalty box, conceding the penalty as a result. It was his second yellow card of the game.

After the game on Sunday, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was asked in the presser as to why didn’t he take off Dan Burn after he had already received his first yellow card and why did he make the substitutions after the penalty was already conceded by Burn and not before?

This is what he had to say:

“In what sense”?….

“Yeah, I mean, of course we were discussing that as the game was going on but those moments obviously impact everything, because with hindsight, you think, well… oh, you could’ve done something before that moment [when the penalty was conceded] but with Dan’s height being pivotal from the set-plays and with Joelinton going off, we then would’ve certainly become very small”.

“So, they are big calls to make but yeah, of course, with hindsight you possibly make a different decision. But, of course, in that moment I have to weigh up to what I am doing.” [Beanyman Sports]

Following that response from Howe, Newcastle fans were frustrated and reasonably so, because they have some tall monsters in their team like Botman, Thiaw and Woltemade, all of who are above 6ft. So, it looked like a very childish response from Eddie Howe because he could have used the height advantage of these players on the set-pieces and keeping Dan Burn on the field wasn’t necessarily required since he was already carded.

Howe felt that it would’ve made them too “small” (in terms of height) because he had also lost Joelinton, who is also above 6ft, to an injury in the 24th minute during the 1st half. He felt it was a big call to make (to take Burn off) after what happened to the Brazilian midfielder.

However, Howe did acknowledge that, in hindsight, he would’ve maybe taken that decision (to take Burn off) but he did what he felt was right in that moment but unfortunately, it didn’t come off well for the Newcastle fans.

Interestingly, Burn has lost more defensive duels than any other Premier League defender in this season. That is a worrying stat for someone who is 6.7ft tall while being a defender.

The fans found the quote to be unacceptable because they obviously felt Dan Burn should’ve been substituted long before and it was a risk playing him on the yellow card because if things went haywire even one bit, he would’ve been sent off and that’s exactly what took place.

This is just one part of it. They (fans) were also frustrated with Howe’s continuous persistence to make him play as a LB (Left-Back), when, he has Lewis Hall, the only natural LB at his disposal, unlike the LCB (Left Centre Back) role, which is his natural position and he plays that role better than as a LB. For England too, he is being played as a LCB by Tuchel along with Guehi and he used to play as a LCB during his Brighton days as well.

However, the benefit of doubt shall also be given to Howe in this case because the only left-footed player to play the LB role in the defensive line apart from Hall, was Burn, and clearly Howe didn’t look to put Hall straight into the starting XI after his return from injury as he looked to build his minutes and match fitness up.

Playing players in their unnatural position obviously affects the team’s dynamics as a whole, from its structure to its rigidity. Although, Burn was being played as a LB in the absence of Lewis Hall as he was out injured, but now that Hall has made his return from injury and also came on as a substitute in the last two games that Newcastle played, fans would obviously hope that Howe stops playing Burn at LB from here on, in his unnatural position.

Newcastle and Eddie Howe, in particular, now have a big test coming up at the St. James’ Park against Manchester City after the international break. City have won the last 4 of their 5 Premier League games and currently sit on 2nd with 22 points in the league standings after a mammoth of a show against Liverpool at the Etihad which saw them beat the Merseyside club, 3-0.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have won just 2 of their last 5 Premier League games and Eddie Howe would surely hope that his boys put up a strong performance and a reaction after the defeat at Brentford otherwise, the pressure may just start to mount on him.

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