Eddie Howe addresses Nick Pope’s substitution in Newcastle’s defeat to Brentford
Eddie Howe has opened up on his decision to hook Nick Pope during Newcastle’s chastening 3-1 Premier League defeat to Brentford on Sunday, reports BritPanorama.
The Magpies began the match with optimism, taking the lead with a goal from Harvey Barnes in the 27th minute. However, Brentford quickly responded, with Kevin Schade equalising and Igor Thiago scoring twice to secure the victory.
Newcastle’s troubles were compounded when Dan Burn was shown a red card in the 73rd minute. Subsequently, Howe substituted Pope, replacing him with Aaron Ramsdale. The manager later revealed that Pope was concussed and had to leave the pitch for safety reasons. “Initially, I wasn’t told anything in the sense that he was concussed and then a message came that he wasn’t feeling too well and he had to come off,” Howe explained. “It probably affects (whether he reports for England duty), yeah,” he added.
Newcastle now sits 14th in the Premier League table, having struggled to find form this season. Howe admitted the team faced difficulties, particularly in the second half. “Really difficult second half for us. Whatever could go wrong did go wrong,” he stated. The manager acknowledged that his side did not respond adequately to Brentford’s first goal, which he deemed a major turning point in the match.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Howe noted the need for a stronger mentality. “We showed a good mentality to our defending in the first half and we stood up to that task,” he observed. “The Premier League is everything. At the moment, we are suffering. We know we will rightly be criticised for our away form, and all we can do is stick together and fight back.”
Brentford’s manager, Keith Andrews, expressed his satisfaction with the victory. He remarked on the team’s improvement in the second half, attributing their success to a calmer approach and well-executed adjustments. “It’s always about the reactions and we were nice and calm at half-time and spoke about what we needed to fine-tune,” Andrews said. “We were worthy of the win.”
This latest defeat highlights the challenges facing Newcastle, while Brentford’s triumph continues their impressive home form. The road ahead will be critical for Newcastle as they seek to reclaim their footing amid pressing scrutiny.
