Alan Shearer didn’t hold back live on air — his savage warning to Matthias Jaissle about this Newcastle squad is the wake-up call the whole club needed
Premier League can’t delay Man City punishment
Man City keep saying they have irrefutable evidence and there is an appeal going on, but I just hope that for the sake of the game and for the sake of the Premier League, that the sanctions are handed out quickly because there’s a huge cloud hanging over football in this country at the moment.
They’ve won six out of six in the league so far this season and the reality is they could be sitting top at Christmas and also at the end of the season and it’s just not a good look for football and the Premier League. That’s why it needs to be sorted ASAP
Man City’s togetherness on the pitch is there for everyone to see
Man City players’ togetherness is there for everyone to see. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for them and the manager has had to pull everyone together. Against Liverpool, it was difficult for City until the sending off of Ryan Gravenberch. The game could’ve gone either way until then but, after the red card, Man City were outstanding.
On Wednesday, in the Champions League, they were up against the best team in Europe. That’s as good as you’re going to see, by the way, in the first half from PSG. Their passing, movement, cohesion, touch, technique – everything in the first half. They blew Man City away, which was so impressive in terms of how good they were.
City were much better in that second half. Erling Haaland got two goals and could have got four or five. It was much better from City in that second half, but it was a brilliant game of football from start to finish, to watch that and see the standards of both teams.
Since the guilty verdicts, City players have had to read all the stuff online, listen to it on TV, radio and podcasts and everything. But you’re always going to back your club and I get that. I get their reaction and I get how hurt they’ll be with all the criticism they’re getting. It’s their club. So I get it and I understand it.
Premier League must review SCR rules
Premier League clubs voted in SCR (Squad Cost Ration) and they will have to vote again if they want to change the rules. Of course, Chelsea wouldn’t have been where they were years and years ago when Roman Abramovich came in. I guess it was brought in to try and stop clubs from going bust.
It’s not only the Premier League, but European leagues have also brought it in as well. I don’t think it’s going to go away, whether it’s slightly tweaked, changed or not, I don’t think Europe or the Premier League will change their rules massively. I don’t agree with the rules in many ways because if you’ve got the money, spend it.
I wouldn’t have won Premier League with SCR
I wouldn’t have won the title at Blackburn if those rules were in place. Jack Walker was a genuine man who made his own money, became very, very wealthy, loved his football club, loved his area and he wanted to spend it on his club and if the rules were in now, I wouldn’t have a Premier League medal. The rules were very different back in 1994/95 when we won it.
There needs to be a review of the SCR rules, but there’s a difference because you’ve got countries that are basically owning football clubs, and states are owning football clubs, and that horse has bolted. Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, has got a 25 or 30% stake in Liverpool. He’s richer than God knows how many countries himself, you know? So, it’s very difficult to say where and how you stop it.
Man Utd are not the attraction they were 20 or 30 years ago
Recruitment at Manchester United has been terrible for years and, after what Michael Carrick did last season in getting them back into Champions League football, he needed more backing in the summer. He needed better recruitment and more players.
Because of the position they are in, Manchester United are not getting number one and number two targets. They’re getting number three targets or number four targets and that’s been half of the problem.
Spending has been a problem as well because of how much they’ve wasted on players over the years. They’re a huge club but their failure to sign the best players tells you they’re not the attraction they were 20 or 30 years ago.
Clearly there’s angst with the owners because of the ticket prices, job losses and so many other things that fans don’t like at their football club now.
Carrick should pick Martinez against Leeds
What Lisandro Martinez’s said about Man United’s hierarchy, after their defeat to Atletico Madrid, was correct. But it should have been kept in-house.
Clearly the comments were planned because he said it on more than one TV station. It should have been kept in-house. The substance of his comments, however, is something I think the majority of the fans will agree is true.
Martinez’s comments might have had more oomph if they’d come from Bruno Fernandes. I mean, Martinez got bullied by Dominic Solanke twice in the draw with Tottenham last weekend. Once where Solanke missed it and once where he scored, so on Tuesday Martinez wasn’t coming from a position of strength in terms of form.
We’re going to find out this weekend if Carrick can pick the team he wants after this Martinez saga. They’re not exactly blessed with great talent in defensive positions. I don’t know whether Martinez has apologised or not. I guess it was frosty plane journey home on Tuesday night after the game back to Manchester with all the executives on that plane as well.
Martinez’s comments probably helped Carrick in terms of taking the heat off him after the defeat. No one’s talking about the game. I worked the game and it was a better performance by United, they just missed some unbelievable chances.
If I was in Carrick’s position, I would want to play Martinez at Leeds. On Sunday, we’ll find out whether he’s allowed to do that.
Carrick’s job is on the line at Leeds
Carrick desperately needs a result after the start to the season Manchester United have had with one win in six league games. There have been poor performances both as a team and individuals.
Sunday is a massive game because it doesn’t get any tougher than going to their local rivals where it’ll be a red-hot atmosphere. Carrick needs a result or you know what could happen.
In Madrid, the midfield was better with Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba in there. It didn’t quite work with Fernandes on the right of a three up front. So I guess he’ll bring Bruno back into the no.10 position and I expect to see Harry Maguire come back in alongside Martinez.
I was more than impressed with Leeds last week at Arsenal. They were slightly unlucky. They gave the champions a really tough game. So Manchester United know going to Elland Road, with the way Leeds play three at the back or five at the back, is going to be a tough game.
I think Leeds will beat them. Manchester United have huge issues both on and off the pitch and, whatever happens at the top of the club always filters down onto the pitch.
Hurzeler would be good next Man Utd manager
If Carrick is relieved of his duties, Hurzeler would be a good replacement, but it’s a very different club model at Brighton. I guess the manager you’d also look at is Eddie Howe. You’d look at Antonio Conte.
That’s what happens when you’re not winning football matches as a manager – everyone talks about who will replace you – and Carrick knows that.
Anthony Gordon is flourishing at Barcelona
It looks as if Anthony Gordon feels at home at Barcelona. There’s an air of confidence and a belief about him. You’ve seen a different Gordon this season to the one you saw at Newcastle last season. Clearly, he wanted that move, which is fine, you were allowed that, but there’s now an end product to his game. He’s going both ways, down the left and cutting inside as well.
He’s getting his goals and the assists and he’s playing in an arena which is huge. He’s playing with some huge names, probably in a better team and he looks really, really comfortable.
It doesn’t hurt me as a Newcastle fan watching him flourish at another club. I understand football. I’ve been in it, you know. When Barcelona come calling, it’s very difficult when you’re at Newcastle to turn them down. Anthony did it the right way. I guess he spoke to people behind the scenes and once they knew he wanted to leave, it was a matter of getting as big a fee for him as possible, but I understand how football works. I did it myself with Blackburn when I left there and wanted to go back to Newcastle.
Jaissle will feel fans’ anger without improvement on Saturday
Newcastle were really poor on Monday evening against Coventry. I expected it to be a yo-yo season, but you can’t have too many of those defeats, especially after the Leeds game, and that’s two now.
I will be at St James’ Park on Saturday. Aston Villa had a great result in the Champions League, scoring six so that’s going to be a really, really tough game.
Newcastle have got to bounce back. You need a game straight away and they’ve got it on Saturday. It’s not acceptable to lose the way they did at Coventry. They won’t get away with that at home with 52,000 fans there.
Matthias Jaissle will feel the anger of the fans unless they see a massive improvement. He needs a result massively. You can overreact sometimes because if Newcastle had gone to Coventry and won, they’d have been fourth. Newcastle are where I thought they’d be at this stage of the season, so there’s no panic.
Newcastle might see a different Fernandez-Pardo after he gets his first goal
I think there’s definitely something in there with Fernandez-Pardo but I’m still not convinced he’s a centre forward. I’d said that before the Coventry game. I said I’ve seen him once or twice and the little bits that I’ve seen of him, he doesn’t look like a natural no.9.
But, and it’s always a big but, if or when you get your first goal you see a different player and that’s what he needs. Clearly, he needs that first goal and we might see lift off if he gets that first one.
If Spurs don’t beat Coventry then they’ll be in a massive relegation battle
I think there was definitely optimism in the performance against Man United. They missed some big chances, Solanke scored one, but he missed three or four big chances, as did others, and I think when you look at the performance overall, I thought it was much improved, much more energy and much more structure to it.
I’ve always said the time to worry is when you’re not creating the chances and that wasn’t the case at Old Trafford. They created plenty. So, if that was to keep on going, they could have a little bit of hope, but they desperately need that win. I know they did really well when down to 10 men, coming back and getting a Solanke goal, that in itself will give them a bit of confidence, but they need a win massively.
If they don’t beat Coventry on Monday, then I think they’ll be in a massive relegation battle, and I think that’s how big a game it is.
Newly promoted teams have made an impressive start
We saw with Sunderland last year, and they shocked us really because normally there’s been a trend that the three that come up generally go back down. But I think they’ve bucked the trend for three promoted teams that have come up this season? Hull have been really good. It took Coventry time, but they’ve won their last two and Ipswich have had a really good start as well.
So as much as it’s going to be interesting at the top with City and Arsenal, it’s going to be really interesting at the bottom as well because those three teams have sent messages out that they’re going to drag other clubs in there.
Under pressure Iraola needs a win
You need to get belief from somewhere and I guess that win for Liverpool on Wednesday should give them that little bit of confidence and they need to carry that on now.
I thought Liverpool did all right against City on Sunday considering the injuries they had, it wasn’t until the sending off for Gravenberch, who I thought, had his best game for a long time, that they suffered. He was superb until the red card. They missed a couple of chances and Isak being out is another blow to them.
I think Iraola said he’s going to be out for a while, maybe months, which is a big blow to them as well. They’ve got to get back to winning ways in the league.
I think they could’ve and should’ve done more business in the summer, but I guess also you look at what they did last summer when they spent all that money on Isak, Wirtz and Ekitike, they spent an absolute fortune. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why they couldn’t go again and couldn’t add more in and Iraola, I’m sure, would have liked more, especially defensively.
I think pressure is starting to grow on Iraola, because you’d expect Liverpool with who and what they are to win matches. You know as a manager you have to win football matches, and if you don’t, then you know what happens, the pressure is applied to you.
