Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has come under heavy fire following his team’s poor performance in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham.

While the Hammers — and particularly Freddie Potts — rightly grabbed most of the headlines after their victory at the London Stadium, the Magpies have faced a wave of criticism from pundits and sections of the media.

Apparently, losing to “lowly” West Ham is now enough to spark questions over whether Howe remains the right man to take Newcastle forward. That feels harsh, given the club lost their best player in the summer — and that the same manager delivered a trophy as recently as last season.

Overblown Criticism

Only a few days ago, Howe’s midfield was being hailed as one of the best in the Premier League. Anyone would think the loss to West Ham was part of a catastrophic run of results, but Newcastle arrived in East London having won three straight matches against Fulham, Benfica, and Tottenham.

Yet somehow, the media narrative has turned on its head overnight. Gary Neville described their display as “lethargic” and claimed to be “really angry” about Newcastle’s performance — though quite why a Manchester United fan would be...