'It's not me': Kieran Trippier reflects on his form in December which had Newcastle fans raging

The Newcastle United corner of the internet is a strange place. It can be a place where we all come together united under a common love or it can be a battleground of wild opinions.

December 2023 definitely fell into the latter category with the NUFC hashtag on X a very unpleasant place to be. The team's form was lacking, the injury list was never-ending as were the fixtures which was causing the few fit players we had to become very lethargic.

One player who seemed to suffer the most was Kieran Trippier who looked dead on his feet every game. The fact that he then got the call-up for the England squad really annoyed Newcastle fans who could see that he needed a break more than anything.

Trippier's form in December was a massive cause for concern

Trippier made costly errors in consecutive games which cost Newcastle points and of course, social media users let their feelings be known. As did we, to be fair.

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You didn't need to tell Trippier that his form was honking, however, as the 33-year-old didn't get to this level of the game by accepting bad games.

The Newcastle vice-captain picked up the FWA Player of the Year award last week and spoke to The Chronicle afterward and gave his take on the low point of his Newcastle career.

“The highs, last season was massive for us. We were consistent last season, a very difficult team to break down. But this season has been a bit of a rollercoaster with injuries, the limited players we've had available.

“The lows are probably the December month, to be honest with you for me personally, for my performances. I know I can do much better and hopefully I've turned a corner. Every player goes through that moment, it's just how you react to it.

"It was a strange one, really. I was just making a mistake and then making another mistake. I think the break came at the right time and that gave me time to reflect and analyse why I was making those mistakes. As I do every game win, lose or draw, I always watch the games back and it's just going back to basics, really.

“I don't know. I haven't got any excuses, really. It's just you make a mistake and you want to try even better and then because you're trying too hard, you make another mistake, and it's not me.”

Trippier feels Newcastle will be in safe hands after he's finished at the club

Trippier was just about back to his best when he dropped to the ground against Wolves last week before signalling that he needed to be taken off.

Scans ultimately revealed that the calf injury would take around a month to heal, ruling the England full-back out of Newcastle's next two games as well as international duty.

Tripps is expected to make a comeback at the end of the month to face West Ham in what will be a huge game in terms of the Premier League table. Fortunately, Newcastle have an exceptional back-up in his position now in the form of Tino Livramento who Trippier backs to be an excellent replacement going forward at club and international level.