Howe won’t throw £28m man into side unless it’s a ‘benefit to the team’ despite costly errors

Is Nice Guy Eddie being too nice to Kieran Trippier by not dropping the Newcastle United right-back?

Kieran Trippier, while still one of the best players to don the black and white shirt in recent memory, his form in the last couple of games has left a lot to be desired.

Let's just say right from the off, that we don't at all want to see Trippier gone, we just think that the man needs a rest. He had a mini rest during the last international break and he came back much better.

Trippier is suspended for the Fulham game after picking up five yellow cards

Yes, he will get a rest on Saturday when he'll be suspended for the game against Fulham, but that's a decision that has been taken out of Eddie Howe's hands.

John Walton via PA

We have Tino Livramento in brilliant form (last night not included) who could pose just as much of a threat going forward as Trippier does on the right, while Chelsea loanee and future £28million signing Lewis Hall could go down the left.

We know Hall has been hit-and-miss when he's played, but he will only get better with more minutes under his belt. He's fresh, he's hungry and he's got the talent, he just needs the confidence, and the only way he'll get that is with a run in the team.

Howe has his reasons for keeping Trippier in the firing line

Howe has given his thoughts to The Telegraph as to why Hall struggles for minutes while a sub-par Trippier continues to be selected.

“I think Tino has been excellent at left-back and Kieran has his own qualities at right-back.

“Lewis when he comes on has to perform well. If I make changes I want to make changes that benefit the team… We don’t have an abundance of options.

“When [Trippier is] part of your biggest attacking threat every week he’s a very difficult one to miss out. Even today he had his moments with some really good crosses, especially in the second half.”

While we understand where Howe's coming from, we don't necessarily agree. We've asked the question before: is an out-of-form Trippier better than no Trippier at all? We don't think so.

Give Tripps a break, let him get his energy back and let the kids have a crack at it. Nobody is going to blame Howe for trying something new right now, in fact, the opinion online seems to be more that he's making things worse by not trying something new.