'Short memories': John Anderson blasts fans for criticism of Dan Burn and Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe has come in for a lot of criticism from some corners of the Newcastle United fan base this season as Newcastle United's form has dropped drastically from last season.

There are some fans online who are spamming the #HoweOut hashtag and criticising the manager after every game, sometimes even when we win. You can't please all the people all of the time, we know that, but there are those out there going out of their way to paint Eddie Howe as the bad guy and it's simply not justified.

Similarly, and we count ourselves as being guilty of this one, Dan Burn has come in for a lot of stick this season too. His lack of pace is being exposed time and time again and it is costing us games, there's no getting around it, but Eddie Howe insists on picking him when he's available as he says Burn brings other things to the game that perhaps Lewis Hall would not, and that's fair. Howe sees more of his players than we do in fairness.

We're all allowed our opinions, it's part of what makes football so exciting. Although social media has killed debate as now your own opinion is the only one that matters and there's seemingly no room for nuance, but that's another rant for another day.

John Anderson was triggered by one fan's criticism of Eddie Howe

On BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport programme, a fan brought to light the questions around Eddie Howe, calling him "tactically inept" and saying he has "no plan B" which are the main criticisms from the Howe Out brigade, but then they bring into it the selection of Dan Burn as a prime example which seemed to rile up former Newcastle player and BBC Radio Newcastle co-commentator John Anderson who suddenly burst into life.

"Hang on! Dan Burn. Go back to last season, was he tactically inept last season? Newcastle fans would have given him manager of the year last season for what he achieved.

A lot of Newcastle fans were shouting for Dan Burn to be in the England squad last season. A lot of Newcastle fans were shouting for Sean Longstaff to be in the England squad last season. So these people have got short memories. You can't go from all of a sudden being on the verge of an England squad to 'he's out of his depth, he's not good enough'. You can't have it both ways."

Times change and we have to change with them

We get what Ando is trying to say, but just because they were good last season, and they were, nobody is questioning that, it doesn't mean they get a free pass this season.

If being good at some point in time justified you being immune from criticism and starting every game thereafter, Alan Shearer would still be playing for us.

We love Burn and Longy, they seem like top blokes, both Newcastle fans who would give everything for the badge, but do we think they're good enough to carry us forward? Absolutely not. If we want to stay exactly where we are, then by all means, keep them around, but the aim is to start winning things, and we don't win things with Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff. It's harsh, but it's true.

As for Eddie Howe, we've said it plenty of times before, he's not perfect, he has made mistakes, his blind faith in the aforementioned players is frustrating, but he's had one hell of an uphill battle on his hands this season and he's done a more than admirable job all things considered. Let's stick with him and see where he can get us with, what we hope will be, a fitter, stronger squad next season.