Newcastle lose at West Ham: Eddie Howe says ‘I almost could’ve taken anyone off’

Howe had already seen enough when Botman turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross into his own net just before the break.

The Newcastle head coach brought off Emil Krafth, Nick Woltemade and Gordon in the first half but could have used all five allowed substitutions at the time.

“I could have taken out almost anyone,” he said. “It was a reflection of where we were in the game at that moment and it’s very rare for me to feel that way. I don’t think I’ve felt that way since I became Newcastle manager.”

“I felt like the team needed to pick up a little bit at half-time. That’s why I did it.”

However, it did not create the desired effect. Newcastle have failed to win their last eight away league matches.

Newcastle went to some testing grounds in that period, but Howe’s team could no longer beat Aston Villa (twice), Brighton (twice), Bournemouth, Arsenal, Leeds United and West Ham.

For context, only Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have collected fewer away points than Newcastle (three) this season.

No wonder Howe shared some “honest” words with his players after the game.

But the head coach was wary of overreacting, instead hoping that this defeat would finally be a turning point away from home.

A similar defeat in London certainly occurred nearly a year ago when Newcastle lost to Brentford.

It was a result that left Newcastle languishing in the bottom half of the table, and that’s where they now find themselves again.

Newcastle have won seven consecutive matches in all competitions, including impressive away wins against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United.

They will certainly need to invoke that spirit once again when they return to the Gtech Community Stadium next week.

Striker Murphy told Sky Sports: “People say look in the mirror but we go home and think.” “This is a moment where you really have to stay calm.

“Let’s not be too reactive. We know we need to fix things.”