Alan Shearer now says 'messy' situation at Newcastle United is to blame for lack of form

Newcastle United have yet to get out of second gear this season, in fact, to keep the motoring analogy going, it's as if the club has a dodgy clutch and while they keep threatening to go up a gear, they just can't seem to get it into third without grinding those cogs into wheels.

If you asked 10 Newcastle fans what the problem is you'd likely get 10 different answers. The fact of the matter is, it's more than just one thing and it's impossible to point the fickle finger of fate at just one thing.

Eddie Howe testing out Einstein's definition of insanity by trying the same things over and over again and expecting different results is one thing, a squad of players ill-equipped to execute Howe's vision is definitely another.

We could even say that all of the speculation around our top players could be seeping into the club and affecting players' confidence - Anthony Gordon struggled while his contract situation was being played out in the media and now the same is happening to Alexander Isak - however, that's probably more coincidence than anything else.

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Boardroom upheaval to blame for Newcastle's poor start - Alan Shearer

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has a different theory and it goes back to the summer. Eddie Howe not getting backed in the transfer market along with all the upheaval. That's been our number one contender for why things are the way they are, along with Eddie's reluctance to change formation.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer highlighted the 'messy' situation that the difficult summer has left the club in.

“Well I’ve said it before, haven’t I, about all the upheaval at the football club with what’s going on.

“New sporting director, the two shareholders leaving, Amanda [Staveley] and Mehrdad [Ghodoussi]. Darren Eales, the chief executive now leaving.

“Hardly a player coming in, which Eddie wanted in the summer. So it’s all been very messy for Newcastle the last sort of three or four months.

“And they have to get back to what got them to that Champions League spot in the first place.

“You know, the energy and drive and being horrible to play against – I don’t see much of it.”

Newcastle failed to sign winger Michael Olise so went after defender Marc Guehi

To counter one of those points, the player Eddie Howe wanted to come in during the summer, after missing out on Michael Olise, was Marc Guehi, and if we're being honest, we're not sure a new centre-back would have changed things for us this season.

The problems lie up front. Losing out on Michael Olise and then not moving on to another right-winger, instead focusing all of our energy on a defender was a strange move and that's what the issue is here.

However, the boardroom upheaval will definitely have played a part as, no doubt, will have constant speculation of his future regarding the England job and then 'tensions' between Howe and Paul Mitchell.

That being said, that was all well in the past now and the statute of limitations of those being valid excuses has expired.