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Brentford 1 Newcastle 0 – Instant NUFC fan/writer reaction to Tuesday’s cup knockout

3 years ago
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Brentford 1 Newcastle 0 – Tuesday 22 December 5.30pm

We asked a number of our regular writers to give us a brief instant reaction after the final whistle.

Newcastle United tamely exiting the League Cup against a weakened Brentford side making six changes to their Championship eleven

Jamie Swan:

“I can’t say I’m surprised at another weak showing, with a worrying incapability to utilise our own players.

“It’s madness to persist with Longstaff when he’s clearly not in a good place and so many players look out of sorts and not just because of coronavirus.

“The absolute terror of any forward play or pressing is pathetic.

“I can’t even be bothered with people telling us we were fine with Rafa doing it as a) we had an attacking plan when needed and b) there has been a decent chunk of spend on attacking options since then, only for the team and players to go backwards.

“Just a relegation battle to look forward to then.”

GToon:

“The best team won and if it wasn’t for Darlow might have won more convincingly.

“Longstaff and Shelvey paired up again. “Slow” and “slower”.

“We will struggle in every game until one of them gets injured and Bruce isn’t able to pick them together. The only good thing about the losing now is it’s saved us from certain humiliation on a grand scale from the teams still left in.

“My moment of the match was around the 80 min mark when we had a corner and the commentary said we were pushing hard for an equaliser. Our corner taker walked towards the ball at the pace of a snail as if he was playing for time and then curled the corner straight over the line for a goal kick. Nice.

“Some of the players and the manager are so lucky there are no crowds.”

Brian Standen:

“Abysmal.

“Embarrassing

“Nothing more to say!

“Steve Bruce needs to go now.

Jack Lacey-Hatton:

“A shambles.

“The most pathetic cup exit I have seen from NUFC.

“I haven’t been nearly as critical as some of our fans this season, but after that, I don’t see how anyone can say we have made progress or even flatlined under Bruce. A major major re-think needed.

“Just another night of disconnecting the soul from my club.

“Shambles is the word.”

Billy Miller:

“If this cup run has taught us anything it’s that, if we got relegated and kept this manager, we’d struggle to win promotion. Morecombe aside, we haven’t impressed against any of the lower league opposition we’ve faced.

“When I saw the lineups I was pretty confident but a weakened Brentford side came out on top.

“To be fair to Bruce, he threw the kitchen sink at it at the end.

“Unfortunately, the kitchen sink was comprised partly of Andy Carroll and Joelinton!”

Dave Punton:

“What a state. What an absolute mess.

“I could take losing if the football was even half decent, but it’s not.

“This is some of the worst coaching I’ve ever seen, trumping anything served up by the likes of Carver, Pardew and McClaren.

“We have gone there and been bossed off the pitch by a championship side making changes and had our our keeper to thank for keeping the score down.

“Players are getting worse under this manager, not better.

“He has got to go but we all know he won’t.

“Enjoy your Xmas. Try not to think about this shower and definitely don’t look at the fixture list.”

Steve Hickey:

“Totally unacceptable, though the best team won.

“A passive performance from a toothless, lazy team with little idea – again!

“I think we all knew what to expect from an enthusiastic top Championship club on an unbeaten run.

“More fittingly, we knew what to expect from our struggling Premiership outfit who haven’t played well for weeks, if at all this season.

“So is all the blame aimed at Steve Bruce justified? No it’s not but some is, if you can blame him for being incompetent and not fit for the role.

“The real blame lies with the man who hired him in the first place and openly states that he won’t fire him. The same man who starved the club of top players.

“Anyone would struggle under Mike Ashley, even Rafa Benitez.”

Kieran Reynolds:

“In all honesty it should have been Newport playing Brentford today.

“We got lucky then but not today.

“It was a pathetic performance but what is most sad is that I have watched my team play a cup quarter final and felt nothing. I’m not angry or upset, just resigned to the fact my football club is a zombie.

“I look forward to the day Ashley, Bruce and chums are out of my club.”

Paul Patterson:

“So we can’t react having had Fulham reduced to ten men and us having scored a penalty.

“We also can’t react to a Championship side scoring with half an hour to go and with them making changes?

“Team selection? Wrong! Subs? Wrong! Attitude? Wrong!

“Change won’t happen overnight says the manager?

“The first change to make an impact I’d make is the manager.”

Nat Seaton:

“A shocking cup quarter final performance.

“Brentford (YES Brentford!) thoroughly deserved to go through to the semi final.

“We offered nothing and that included when we had nothing to lose but to go for it…

“Absolutely gutted to go out in such a defeatist manner.”

Stats from BBC Sport:

Brentford 1 Newcastle 0 – Tuesday 22 December 5.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle:

Brentford:

Dasilva 66

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Brentford 49% (46%) Newcastle 51% (54%)

Total shots were Brentford 14 (6) Newcastle 12 (5)

Shots on target were Brentford 5 (1) Newcastle 3 (3)

Corners were Brentford 7 (4) Newcastle 3 (1)

Referee: Robert Jones

Newcastle United:

Darlow, Yedlin, Hayden, Clark, Lewis (Carroll 80), Fraser (Joelinton 65), Sean Longstaff, Shelvey, Murphy, Almiron (Gayle 65), Wilson

Unused Subs:

Gillespie, Ritchie, Krafth, Hendrick

Crowd: 00,000

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