Anthony Gordon

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 minute ago, Menace said:

If someone told me Barnes would ahead of Gordon on the starting line up and Gordon would be underperforming a few months ago I'd tell you to lay off the spice

Just shows how quickly things can change, so don’t assume this form is permanent. 

[Gallowgate Toon]

I do think he is main character syndroming a bit rather than phoning it in. One thing that made him so good last season was he made decisions in terms of runs and passes for the team's benefit so well. I can't say it feels like that this season.

[joeyt]

I don't think Gordon playing off Isak with Barnes on the left is the worst idea to be honest.

 

Worked well for a period in the second half

[Pancrate1892]

51 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

So did Jamie McClen  

I don't think he was on the same level as maxi.

Brian pinas was probably happy here too 

[David Edgar]

He needs a spell on the bench until he is motivated and fit.

[SUPERTOON]

This is the Gordon I thought we were signing.

[et tu brute]

His attitude today actually stunk as there were at least three occasions when he made fuck all effort for the ball. 

[Conjo]

Howe was straight on him to give him a pat on the back and seemingly some encouraging words at half time, but tune changed when he was taking him off, clearly signalling to him to hurry the fuck up as he was strolling off at a time we were chasing the equalizer.

[Heron]

1 minute ago, Conjo said:

Howe was straight on him to give him a pat on the back and seemingly some encouraging words at half time, but tune changed when he was taking him off, clearly signalling to him to hurry the fuck up as he was strolling off at a time we were chasing the equalizer.

He's not far from being dropped I reckon.

[PauloGeordio]

6 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

His attitude today actually stunk as there were at least three occasions when he made fuck all effort for the ball. 

Worst I’ve seen him. Most disinterested. Most unprofessional of him. Needs to know where his bread is buttered before he gets a woody over dreams of winning us the World Cup! (Hopefully just a bad day at the office?).

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, Heron said:

He's not far from being dropped I reckon.

Should be after that shambles! (Unless there are reasons of a personal nature we are not privy to).

 

 

Edited Saturday at 17:39 by PauloGeordio

[splinter]

Spoiler

 

His whole body language  is wrong,would let hom off in January if his attitude doesn't  change.

[Geordie Ahmed]

That's his worst game for us by some distance, just terrible

 

[Jordan]

I think it’s all mental. Maybe started to believe his own hype a bit after a fantastic season. He was busting a gut for England so it’s not a fitness issue. 

[gbandit]

No idea what's happening here. Wonder if he's going through a hard time off the pitch / his mental health. Howe put an arm round him at half time and Gordon looked a bit gutted. Whole thing is very odd. Hopefully he's back to himself very soon

[alexf]

Looked good last week so this was a surprisingly shit return to the form from previous games.

 

Wasn't the output. Everyone can have poor games, as did most today. But he looks like he has a visible strop on in comparison.

[Conjo]

51 minutes ago, Jordan said:

I think it’s all mental. Maybe started to believe his own hype a bit after a fantastic season. He was busting a gut for England so it’s not a fitness issue. 

 

The fitness thing where he apparently had/has to gain fitness through playing matches feels a bit like a convenient excuse to protect the player imo. He's had two weeks off(?) after playing a full season with two cups and European football, with international competitions either side of the season. Surely, even if not playing while on England duty you do some training, and how much fitness do you lose in two weeks? I'm assuming he didn't go on a full blown calorie orgy while being strapped to a chair in front of his tv with zero movement in those two weeks. He's too professional to let himself go completely, and even if he did, the body can only stagnate so much in so little time.

[TRon]

3 hours ago, Jordan said:

I think it’s all mental. Maybe started to believe his own hype a bit after a fantastic season. He was busting a gut for England so it’s not a fitness issue. 

 

Funnily enough, I think Diaz having a storming start to the season for Liverpool might shake him out of the doldrums. If the rumours of him having his head turned this summer were true then this might bring him back down to earth and realise he's at the best club for him full stop.

[Kanji]

He’s got to take responsibility for how he’s played these 6 games; he’s an absolutely world class talent, but he’s got so much to continue to work on. Eddie has backed him and played him left, right, and central. He’s had every single chance to make impacts and push his will on matches. Play often is gone through him - he must stand up and fix whatever is going on. 

[Erikse]

Any chance he is a bit burnt out? When we signed him he was working really hard to get into the team. Then he played in the U21 euros last summer, and apparently trained even more to be able to fulfill the demands of our style. Then he played a very high amount of minutes for us last season, with high intensity. After that came the Euros this summer. Feels like he didn't have a proper break in ages, just a few weeks after the Euros.

 

 

Edited Saturday at 22:29 by Erikse

[Paully]

Can someone work their magic with Edwards' article that he's just posted please!

[SteV]

5 minutes ago, Paully said:

Can someone work their magic with Edwards' article that he's just posted please!

 

Spoiler

It is a question that has gained prominence with every passing game – what is wrong with Anthony Gordon? What has happened to Newcastle United’s player of last season and why does he no longer look the same force he was?

What could be conveniently dismissed as a player struggling to get up to speed after a delayed pre-season programme is turning into something more worrying. Something is not right and is starting to have a detrimental effect on the team.

Gordon’s body language, during arguably his worst performance in a Newcastle shirt against Fulham, was troubling. The shoulders were slumped, arms were thrown in the air when teammates made mistakes and on more than one occasion, having given the ball away himself, he made no effort to win it back.

Although we are still in the early stages of the campaign, the data shows that Gordon is not having the same impact and has been largely blunted as an offensive weapon.

He looks like a player who is unhappy with his own form, but is there something else going on in the background that supporters should be worried about?

Anthony Gordon cut a frustrated figure at Fulham last weekendGetty Images/Alex Davidson

Gordon thought he could be leaving Newcastle for Liverpool in the summer and has the collapse of that move to join the club he supported as a boy had a detrimental effect on his position at St James’ Park?

Telegraph Sport looks at the problems behind the scenes at St James’ Park and whether Gordon can be brought back to become the brilliant, all-action player he was last term.

Collapse of Liverpool move

There is no point pretending otherwise. Gordon was keen on a move to his boyhood club in the summer and even told teammates, while on international duty with England, that the move was going to happen.

Former England manager Gareth Southgate was well aware the player was distracted by the talk and Telegraph Sport understands this was one of the reasons he was not involved more at the Euros. Gordon played a handful of minutes in the group stage as a substitute and did not appear again.

Newcastle were in a flap. They were in danger of breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and were being forced to consider selling Gordon against their will.

Liverpool, though, did not follow up on their initial interest and no bid was made. Newcastle solved their PSR concerns by selling Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest instead.

Anthony Gordon was not used a great deal by Gareth Southgate at the Euros Getty Images/Marvin Ibo Guengoer

Gordon was swiftly informed by Newcastle that he was not for sale, at any price, and that he must bury any disappointment he felt at not getting his move to Anfield.

That was always going to be easier said than done. Sources have indicated the player remained unsettled throughout the summer, although his behaviour has not caused friction. He has not demanded a move and has worked hard in training.

There has been no repeat of his antics at Everton where he effectively forced his way out of the club and even went on strike after Newcastle’s opening offer for him, in January 2022, was rejected.

But the saga has disrupted Gordon’s focus and there may well be a lingering sense of what might have been carried into September.

There is also a wider sense of frustration within the Newcastle dressing room. Gordon is not the only star player who was disgruntled by the club’s failure to land a marquee signing to improve the team in the summer window.

Slow progress on new contract

When Newcastle informed Gordon that he would not be sold back in June, they said they would reward his excellent form last season with a lucrative long-term deal. Sources close to the player, though, have told Telegraph Sport that the progress has been slow. As things stand, Gordon does not feel his true value is being reflected in the terms on offer.

Talks are ongoing and both sides would like them to reach a successful conclusion, but it is another distraction that is likely to be playing on his mind.

Players need to feel valued and appreciated and having been told he would be given a new long-term deal, befitting his status as one of Eddie Howe’s blue-chip brigade, the failure to get this done swiftly is another issue to contend with.

Anthony Godon was promised a new contract by Newcaste during the summer Getty Images/Alex Davidson

Newcastle, though, have a strict wage structure to adhere to and Gordon’s demands must fit into that. The same is true of Alexander Isak, who is also understood to be seeking an improved contract.

To be fair to Gordon, he is not the first or the last player to suffer a drop in form while contract talks have dragged on. Bruno Guimaraes was also not at his best at the start of last season as he negotiated a new deal.

It is in the interests of both player and club to come to an agreement as swiftly as possible. Gordon deserves an improved contract, given how important he has become and Newcastle need to protect themselves in terms of ensuring the future transfer market value of the player.

Fragile confidence and vulnerability

Like all of us, Gordon has far more going on in his life than his work. Although settled in the North East, the player’s family remain in the North West and he has been seen socialising in the Manchester suburb of Hale where he used to live.

The prospect of a move to Liverpool probably raised emotions he was not even aware of before the talk of it ignited back in June.

The problem is, although the carrot was dangled, Liverpool’s failure to follow up on their initial interest may have bruised his ego. Why weren’t they willing to pay the money? Did they think he was not good enough after all?

Confidence is a fragile thing in football and having kicked his heels with England all summer, when he expected to play a far bigger role, doubts are bound to creep in. It is the perils of being a professional athlete, success is as much a mental battle as it is reliant on ability.

When that is combined with a slow start to the season at Newcastle, Gordon appears to be struggling. He may well project an air of confidence and unwavering self-belief, but sources argue he is a more fragile character than people think.

Everything went right for him last season. Everything came easily to him on the pitch. That is no longer the case. Teams are taking special measures to nullify his threat and once things start going wrong, you can get into a downward spiral. Gordon’s behaviour against Fulham was probably more to do with the fact he was annoyed at himself than anything else.

Position under threat

When Harvey Barnes spoke to the media from the team’s summer training camp in Germany he said Gordon’s excellent form last season – after a difficult first few months on Tyneside –  was an inspiration to him.

Barnes had struggled with injuries following his £45 million move from Leicester City in 2023, but he has been far more effective than Gordon so far this season with three goals, five chances created and a goal assist in his six appearances – three of which have come as a substitute.

The problem for Gordon, who has one goal and zero assists, is that Barnes is at his best when he starts on the left wing, which is also his preferred position.

Harvey Barnes has been in excellent form for Newcastle early in the season Getty Images/Alex Livesey

Against Fulham, Gordon started on the left with Barnes on the right, but when they swapped flanks, it was noticeable that Gordon did not look happy.

Howe has a decision to make against Manchester City and for the first time since his early struggles at Newcastle, Gordon is in danger of losing his place in the starting XI.

Howe remains a huge fan of Gordon and has protected him throughout the summer, insisting the player remains fully committed to Newcastle. He will continue to handle him gently, but needs the winger to rediscover his mojo. He needs the 23-year-old to shrug off whatever has been going on in the background, ref-ocus and get back to doing the things that made him such a threat last season.

 

[gbandit]

Not much new there

[ExiledGeordie]

4 minutes ago, gbandit said:

Not much new there

No but it does seem we’ve got a disgruntled player on our fans rather than someone simply out of form. 

[Conjo]

Just now, ExiledGeordie said:

No but it does seem we’ve got a disgruntled player on our fans rather than someone simply out of form. 

 

It really doesn't

 

Head turned by Liverpool - only rumours. Nobody has confirmed that he wanted to leave and that Liverpool showed genuine interest in him (which conflicts with the rumours that Gordon was lobbying to get Guehi to Newcastle)

Disappointed with little or not progress with new contract that may or may not have been promised. Nobody has confirmed this either.

Disappointed at no big signings this summer. Again, not confirmed.

 

Or it could be a combination of any of the above

.....or that he is simply out of form and struggling to get back into it. Seems the most plausible explanation until we have more solid proof of anything else.