Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side almost suffered an embarrassing home defeat against a resurgent Luton Town, before coming back from 4-2 down at home to draw 4-4.
Credit should be given to Luton for taking the game to their hosts and silencing a capacity St. James’ Park crowd, though BBC Sport’s Pat Nevin believes that the Magpies manager made a crucial mistake in the eight-goal epic that won’t happen again.
According to the former Chelsea man, the home crowd had implored their manager to substitute big Dan Burn when the score in the match was 2-2.
However, Howe stuck with one of his trusted generals and it came back to bite him as Luton surged into the lead.
Only then did he make the change.
‘I was convinced he would change it at half-time, but he still didn’t. By the time he did sub Burn, after the home crowd pleaded for him to do it, 2-2 had become 2-4 with both goals coming from the left. Why did he wait? Howe is a quality coach – he must have seen the problem,’ Nevin wrote for BBC Sport.
‘Was it that rarest of things in the Premier League, a show of sympathy? To hook club stalwart Burn would be an embarrassment to him and everyone including me likes the honest big defender.
‘Sadly, there is no room for sentiment in elite competitive sport and I suspect Howe will never do it again. In any case, he wasn’t doing the player any favours leaving him out there to suffer.’
Given that under his tutelage Newcastle have improved immeasurably, Howe can be forgiven for getting it wrong occasionally.
Just as with any player one mistake is almost acceptable, as long as it’s quickly corrected and not made again. Howe will understand that as much as anyone.
As long as there continues to be an upward trajectory for the club, it appears clear that they have the right man in charge of the first team, and to hammer him for a mistake in a game that they fought back in seems a little unnecessary.