Qudus SalihuIn a blistering assessment that has quickly gone viral across social media, Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has pulled no punches in his critique of Kieran Trippier following the Magpies’ “shameful” 3-2 defeat to Brentford at St. James’ Park today. The loss, Newcastle’s third consecutive Premier League defeat, saw the team collapse defensively in the second half. While the entire backline struggled, it was the veteran Trippier who bore the brunt of Shearer’s fury after being caught out of position for the equalizer and failing to contain the pace of Dango Ouattara, who eventually netted the 86th-minute winner.
Taking to X and later appearing on Match of the Day, Shearer’s comments resonated with a frustrated Toon Army. “I don’t care what he’s done for this club in the past; that performance today was a shambles,” Shearer fumed. He described Trippier as looking “leggy and a liability,” noting that a leader cannot allow himself to be bypassed so easily in such a crucial game. In a moment that stunned viewers, Shearer went as far as to suggest that Trippier’s time in the starting XI should be over, demanding that Eddie Howe look toward younger options like Tino Livramento. “You cannot reward that level of lethargy. If I’m the manager, he never plays for this club again. It’s time to move on before he costs us any more points,” Shearer added.
The statistics from the Brentford match painted a grim picture for the 35-year-old, who lost possession 12 times and was directly faulted for two of the Bees’ goals. As Newcastle slides to 12th in the table, the pressure is mounting on Howe to make ruthless decisions regarding his senior players. Shearer’s viral outburst has set the tone for what is likely to be a week of intense soul-searching at Tyneside. If the club’s greatest-ever goalscorer has his way, the Trippier era at St. James’ Park has reached a bitter and sudden conclusion
Mustapha Sheidu
Rabiu Aminu
Qudus Salihu
