Newcastle fans all blast Eddie Howe for ‘absolutely pathetic’ decision vs Brentford
Alarm bells are starting to ring at Newcastle United after their winless away run continued against Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
In a disappointing outing, the Magpies made a solid start after Harvey Barnes gave Eddie Howe’s men a 27th-minute lead.
But the visitors couldn’t build on that, as Kevin Schade equalised shortly after half-time, putting the hosts into the ascendancy.
So, once Dan Burn was shown a second yellow card in the 73rd minute, Newcastle ruined their chances of securing a first away win of the season, with Igor Thiago scoring a brace to hand the Toon a 3-1 loss.
Newcastle were beaten 3-1 by West Ham last weekend, but after this latest defeat, supporters are starting to question Howe’s judgement.
Newcastle fans questioned why Dan Burn wasn’t substituted
In midweek, Newcastle’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Club in the Champions League saw Burn steal the headlines with a magnificent header.
On the flip side, Burn has also been criticised for his performances at left-back as the six-foot-seven-inch defender struggles to live with the pace of wingers.
That was the case against Brentford, with Dango Ouattara beating Burn for pace and drawing a foul from him inside the box.
The 33-year-old was shown a second yellow card as a result, while Thiago converted the resulting spot kick.
Reacting to this incident on X, Newcastle fans questioned why Howe didn’t substitute Burn sooner after bringing on Lewis Hall for Barnes.
“Anyone that knows football knew at 39 mins Dan Burn was either giving a penalty away or sent off, he was let off at 60 odd then done both…..how was he still on in the 70th to do that?” one supporter questioned.
“Why haven’t they taken Burn off that is ridiculous,” someone else commented, while a third wrote: “Not saying I want Howe sacked at all. But decisions like Burn over Hall and Pope over Ramsdale every week are the kinds that can get you sacked.”
Absolutely pathetic game management from Howe again. I'm close to giving up with him, disaster after disaster with him this season, at what point do we say enough's enough? Persisting with Pope, persisting with Dan Burn getting skinned at LB, and now we pay for it again #nufc
— AJ (@TheAndylorian) November 9, 2025
Eddie’s loyalty to Pope, Burn now has to end. Ramsdale and Hall must start going forward. And can #nufc stop giving Woltemade balls in tight spaces. Kid has good feet but they make it impossible for him nearly every time
— Junior Turner (@juniorturner84) November 9, 2025
“Burn should have been subbed after the first yellow; he’s not a left back, and Hall has been fit for weeks. Botman looks shoddy at the back, and our attacking threat is little not existent,” another pointed out.
“Howe ignored the warning signs of yellow carded Burn & it hugely backfired,” a seventh posted.
Dan Burn should have been taken off after that first penalty – wrong decision to leave him on.
— Andrew Musgrove (@ADMusgrove) November 9, 2025
Another poor showing on the road from #nufc.
Howe punished for Burn experiment
Brentford have arguably two of the fastest players in the league in Dango and Kevin Schade, and the duo punished the Magpies in wide areas.
Kieran Trippier was run ragged by Schade, while Burn’s lack of pace and mobility cost Newcastle any chance of three points.
Surely, Howe knew that playing Burn in this game was detrimental and the warning signs have been there for weeks.
There was also no excuse to use the veteran with Hall waiting in the wings, and after coming onto the pitch, he proved why he should be starting there.