ALAN SHEARER SLAMS 'ROTTEN, PATHETIC' NEWCASTLE AS EDDIE HOWE'S SUNDERLAND CALLS DUG OUT

Newcastle United were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in their crunch Premier League showdown, and Alan Shearer has hammered his beloved side for their display

Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has blasted the Magpies performance against Sunderland

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has absolutely hammered the Magpies following their defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland. The Magpies' all-time leading goalscorer said his former side were rotten, pathetic, dreadful, and almost ran out of superlatives to describe the Wear-Tyne Derby defeat.

A Nick Woltemade own goal was all that separated the two sides, but it was a poor game that lacked any attacking intent from either side.

Shearer singled out Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon for their poor displays and felt that Eddie Howe got his team selection wrong.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: "I wasn't [okay]. Newcastle were dreadful.

"They were rotten and I was really shocked at how dreadful they were because, I mean, that is pathetic in any game, let alone in a derby game.

"Seriously, you're going to play in the biggest game of the season at your rivals and you've heard all the players all week, 'We know how much it means to the fans and we're going to do this and that.' Well, lads, they did nothing. They were awful, honestly."

Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade scored the decisive goal in the wrong end against Sunderland(Image: Getty Images)

Newcastle have won just once away in the Premier League all season, and Shearer didn't hold back in his criticism of the Newcastle manager either, adding: "Eddie made some big calls team-wise, and I thought Eddie got it wrong as well.

"The players who he picked didn't perform for him. Elanga was awful. Gordon was awful. Woltemade was awful. They offered nothing in forward positions."

Shearer got fed up with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards sniggering on the podcast, as he hit out: "Stop laughing you two d********s. You pair of... I wish I could say that word I'd call you that now."

The Newcastle icon then continued: "There was no desire, there was no energy, there was nothing. You go away to Sunderland, and who aren't a great team, and after half an hour, Sunderland had about 70 per cent possession, as if.

"I was thinking, 'Am I missing something here, are we going away to Arsenal or Man City here?'

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe got some decisions wrong at the Stadium of Light(Image: PA)

"We're going away to Sunderland. Okay, they're hard to beat at home. They're really well organized and they're above us in the table but come on, they're not Barcelona or Real Madrid.

"Are we going to have a pop at them or have a go at least? There was nothing from Newcastle. It was really, really awful."

When asked by Richards if Sunderland could get a bit of credit, Shearer said: "Yeah, they deserved to win. They were up for the fight.

"They had the energy, they won every second ball. They won every challenge. Well done, yeah. Newcastle were terrible."

- Matty Hewitt

ARTETA STRUGGLING AT THE STADIUM OF LIGHT | SUNDERLAND 2-2 ARSENAL

 

REVIVING ROCKER PARK'S LEGACY AT STADIUM OF LIGHT

As we potentially move into unprecedented times in terms of potential and ambition under our current regime, wouldn’t it be great to bring the best of Roker with us?

It seems an obvious statement - but the Stadium of Light was built for the future.

Bob Murray’s vision was for a completely new arena, kitted out with modern facilities throughout. He wanted nothing but the best for players and supporters, and for an initial cost of less than £20 million, our former chairman certainly delivered in terms of quality and value.

Roker Park had meant a lot to Bob - having first visited our home of 99 years as a young boy with his father back in the 1950s. But by the 1990s, most people understood that the old place was hemmed in by housing. It was desperately in need of investment, yet the requirements of the post-Hillsborough Taylor Report would have reduced the capacity well below 20,000.

Murray knew what Roker had meant to the fans. Prior to demolition, season-ticket holders were allowed to purchase their seats, signs and other souvenirs were auctioned off, while other memorabilia were rightly relocated to the new stadium.

A small section of the Archibald Leitch latticework was creatively redeployed in the stadium car park, but other treasures were mostly confined to the sports bar - now known as Quinn’s Bar.

I think Murray wanted to acknowledge our illustrious past but didn’t want it to overshadow what was the heralding of a new era at Sunderland. Even the old ship badge was discarded as part of a rebrand, and having successfully floated the club on the stock exchange, Murray was eager to create a new identity - away from the financial struggles of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Stadium of Light had considerable wow factor when it opened. It was one of the first new stadiums in the country, and with four filled-in corners, bright red seats, and room for expansion, it didn’t look dissimilar to Old Trafford, which at the time was arguably the country’s best stadium.

But aside from the Thomas Hemy painting inside the main entrance, the new ground told very little of the club’s history. Bars on the concourses were named after former players, but concrete walls remained bare, and stands were named North, South, East, and West.

It wasn’t until Roy Keane arrived as manager that images of our former greats appeared in the tunnel, to give players a taste of the size of the club and what they were representing.

Fast forward to the present day, and the club is in the strongest position it has been for years. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’s vision could finally maximise the potential of Murray’s greatest legacy.

The current regime has wasted no time in tapping into the club’s past. Retro-themed shirts and merchandise are a successful money-spinner, while those once-bland concourses are now filled with emotionally charged artwork that evokes memories of days gone by.

I wonder if we could go a stage or two further. Imagine how the original Leitch latticework would look along the walkway of the newly renamed Jimmy Montgomery Stand. Perhaps only the small section of it, currently in the car park, still exists. I honestly don’t know.

It’s a shame this wasn’t considered a possibility back in 1997, when the primary focus was on the future and not the past. If it no longer exists, however, could a new, more realistic replica of the latticework be remade?

The small sections in the Roker End (another great addition to the SoL) don’t really do it justice, and with the design currently printed on hardboard, I’m sure we could explore a top-quality remake.

I think there’s a valuable place for history within modern stadiums. We’ve just refurbished much of ours, and the reintroduction of the latticework would give another significant nod to the past in a way that, in my opinion, would look really stylish.

During my recent stadium tour, I asked about the old ‘Welcome to Sunderland’ lettering that once graced the Fulwell End. It appears as though some of the lettering has been used to create the current Quinn’s Bar logo.

Previously, the letters were placed sporadically on the ceiling of the same bar, before its refurbishment a few years ago. I’d like to see those letters put back together again if a suitable location can be found. Our tour guide said my suggestion would be passed on.

Currently, the memorabilia inside Quinn’s Bar is scaled down from what it used to be. Gone from view are many of the old framed shirts from visiting teams. There also only appears to be one of the Roker Park clocks, still stuck at 11.17 - the time it is shown being taken down one sunny day on Premier Passions. I think the other clock might have been relocated elsewhere within the stadium.

I’m not suggesting that we live in the past here. I just know that big clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United embrace their history to such an extent that it is part of why they have such global followings.

There are elements of Highbury in the design at the Emirates, while Everton’s new stadium appears to have a Goodison Park vibe, at least from the inside.

I can understand that Bob Murray wanted a new start in 1997 - when Roker Park was past its best, and we were focusing on better times both on and off the pitch. He wanted to move away from the worst of what Roker had represented at that time.

But I feel now is the time to look at the bigger picture. As we potentially move into unprecedented times in terms of potential and ambition under our current regime, wouldn’t it be great to bring the best of Roker with us?

- Joseph Tulip