Eddie Howe made a ‘strange decision’ toward the end of Newcastle United’s game last night, according to a pundit.
The Magpies are now 14 Premier League games without a win this season following the 1-1 draw with Norwich City at St James’s Park.
Despite playing with 10 men for most of the game, Newcastle took a second-half lead through Callum Wilson.
But Teemu Pukki equalised with nine minutes remaining to spare the Canaries’ blushes.
Shortly before Pukki’s equaliser, Howe took off Allan Saint-Maximin in a decision that Jamie O’Hara couldn’t wrap his head around.
Here’s how he reacted to the substitution on Twitter:
Strange?
Well yeah, it was a bit odd.
When the opposition is chasing the game, there’s less emphasis on defending.
And Saint-Maximin is far and away Newcastle’s best player for a counter-attacking strategy.
These are armchair tactics and who is anybody to question somebody of Howe’s expertise?
But there was something a little bizarre about bringing off somebody like Saint-Maximin.
He’s the player Norwich would’ve feared more than anyone due to his speed, purposeful running and tricks, regardless of Ciaran Clark’s red card.
And when he went off, Dean Smith and his players just might’ve been a little relieved.
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