Newcastle icon singles-out one player for brutal treatment and says Howe’s squad is too thin to fight on all fronts

EXCLUSIVE: He’s a Geordie icon, but maybe his popularity may suffer after sending a few home truths to Newcastle United after a stuttering start to the season.

Chris Waddle has launched a scathing attack on Newcastle‘s Dan Burn. The Magpies legend, who was born in Gateshead and made 170 appearances for the Toon Army, singled-out the England international when asked by Essential Football what was going wrong at St James’ Park this season.

Speaking on behalf of SheKicks, Waddle said: “Defensively they’re slow, with Dan Burn at left-back. I feel for him because he’s getting exposed, and he got sent off (against Brentford) because he was exposed. He’ll step in and do a job as best he can, but surely they have to have a specialist left-back who can step in. I know they’ve had injuries, but it’s telling that there isn’t a reserve who they think can handle it better than Dan Burn. No disrespect, but he’s a centre-half and he isn’t quick enough at his age.

“He can read the game well but the nature of football means he’ll get caught out. I think that what lets Newcastle down is the size and the quality of the squad. Get the first team out and they’ll give anyone a game, but if they have injuries or need to rotate, they struggle.”

Eddie’s hands are tied with PSR demands and squad is too think to fight on all fronts

Waddle praised the impact that Eddie Howe has had since he joined Newcastle and also praised the former Bournemouth boss’ tactical approach, but admitted that Howe must be frustrated by PSR spending restrictions.

“I don’t think the problem is Eddie, it’s that the squad is too thin. There must be times when he wants to give a couple of players a rest, but knows he doesn’t have the replacements he needs to make sure the drop-off isn’t too big,” Waddle said.

Emphasising the lack of depth in the squad, Waddle again turned to Burn, and commented on his last performance, where he was given the run-around, got sent off and saw his team get hammered 3-1 by Brentford to continue an abysmal away record in the Premier League.

“They need players who are as good quality as the first team options, because when Lewis Hall is out, all of a sudden you’re playing Dan Burn at left-back. Perhaps a back three makes sense then, but you’re still wondering who works as a wing-back. Two or three injuries can really upset this Newcastle side.

“There’s the Champions League, League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League to fight for and they’re suffering. Unless he changes his style of play, they need to strengthen in January,” Waddle said.

Be more creative in the transfer window

Despite having the richest owners in world sport, the Saudi-backed PIF fund, Newcastle have had their hands tied when it comes to big money transfers. Waddle acknowledged that challenge, but then also laid down the gauntlet to club chiefs to be a bit more creative in the transfer window.

“Newcastle seem to struggle with their spending more than most. Some teams seem to bring in players all over the place, whereas Newcastle seem to bring one in and then they’re struggling for another year to add more. We know they have PSR issues, which is probably why they haven’t been able to strengthen as much as they would have liked, but I do think they could be a bit better in the transfer window. Maybe a bit more creative,” Waddle concluded.

The Essential Football verdict

There’s no denying that Dan Burn had a stinker against Brentford. The boy from Blyth was caught out more times than he would have wanted and looked badly exposed in a poor defeat that saw him see red. His performances on the whole have been pretty solid, so it’s a little harsh to single him out, but the truth is that Newcastle need better players to manage the increased workload of Champions League football. They also need to urgently address their woeful away form. Waddle is on the money here.