Bruno Guimaraes did not hold back when dissecting Newcastle United’s defeat to Sunderland.
The Toon captain was one of maybe three players who did themselves justice at the Stadium of Light, as Newcastle United lost to Sunderland in embarrassing fashion.
So many of Eddie Howe’s players let the club down, with Alan Shearer describing Newcastle United as ‘awful’.
What was Eddie Howe’s BIGGEST mistake against Sunderland?
I've no idea why we were so deep, or why Elanga started!
That view was shared by Bruno Guimaraes, who was brutally honest when he spoke to the press after the disastrous defeat. Bruno said Newcastle were a ‘mess’ against Sunderland, admitting they had let the fans down.
He told the media: “We know we have a better team than them but we didn’t play like the better team. It was a mess. The consistency isn’t there, the mentality isn’t there. We didn’t compete. The fans expect and deserve better.”
Newcastle United officials do not disagree with Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno’s assessment of the derby was raw and honest. He did not pull any punches, despite the risk of upsetting his teammates.
That honesty is what Newcastle United fans want, having watched their team put in a shameful display against their biggest rivals.
But how did Bruno’s comments go down within the corridors of power at St James’ Park? Well, it does not sound like anyone disagreed with him.
- Who is Bruno Guimaraes? Meet Newcastle’s brilliant Brazilian lighting up the Premier League
That is according to the i Paper, who have claimed that no one in a ‘position of power’ has ‘challenged’ what Bruno said after losing to Sunderland.
The fact no one has questioned Bruno’s reaction says it all. The club know the performance was unacceptable.
Since his post-match outburst, Bruno has addressed the derby again on social media. He apologised to supporters, stating that the Newcastle United squad will aim to get revenge when they face Sunderland in the return fixture in March.
No change in Eddie Howe’s job after losing to Sunderland
While Newcastle United officials are in agreement with Bruno, that is not to say their views on Eddie Howe have changed.
The i Paper add that Howe received messages of support on Monday morning, with the Newcastle United manager not under pressure at St James’ Park.
Simple question, has Eddie Howe taken Newcastle United as far as he can? 👀
Howe has the support of everyone within the club, but now he must re-earn that support from the fans. Losing the derby in the manner his side did is categorically unacceptable. There was no fighting spirit. They were an embarrassment.
While the finger can be pointed at the players for that, Howe must take on a huge portion of the blame. The way he set the team up was completely wrong, massively misjudging the temperament of the game.
A string of good results will slightly change the mood on Tyneside, but all eyes will already be on the second Tyne-Wear derby of the season in March.
Sign up to TalkingPoints for free to join the conversation about all things Newcastle United with Geordie Boot Boys!