Gordon breaks ranks as Newcastle faces media firestorm over post-match silence

Newcastle have come under heavy fire for shutting out print journalists from speaking to players in the aftermath of their Tyne-Wear derby collapse at St James' Park, where a last-minute Brian Brobbey strike secured a 2-1 victory for Sunderland.

The decision to bypass the mixed zone entirely left media representatives and supporters alike searching for answers, forced instead to rely on controlled club interviews or broadcast coverage. It proved a controversial move that sparked immediate condemnation across social media platforms.

The timing added salt to Newcastle's wounds, coming just days after they shipped seven goals in a Champions League drubbing at Barcelona. Eddie Howe's side now face questions they've been reluctant to answer face-to-face.

Journalists quickly voiced their frustration. The Sunderland Echo's James Copley branded the approach "appalling," arguing that players have a responsibility to engage with supporters following such a poor showing. NewcastleWorld's Jordan Cronin echoed the sentiment, describing it as weak and insisting fans merited proper accountability.

Anthony Gordon ultimately became the sole Magpies player to speak publicly, doing so exclusively through Newcastle's official website. The winger, who had given his side an early advantage, pulled no punches in his assessment of the performance.

"Not good enough really. No excuses," Gordon stated. "We were good for 45 minutes which has been the case too often this season. It's something we knew going into the game and something we have been trying to work on this season. Not good enough [our] start to the second half, they were the better team in the second half."

He acknowledged the missed opportunities in the opening period but lamented the fundamental drop-off after the interval. "We had chances, we had some good play in the first half, but to be honest, I don't think we showed our quality," he added.

When pressed on whether this defeat stung more than the reverse fixture loss in December, Gordon's response cut to the heart of Newcastle's frustration. "It's probably worse," he said. "Both are just as bad but the way we lost the game, we went ahead 1-0, the way we were playing, I thought they were really poor. And then we let them into the game and basically gave them the win."

The forward was particularly scathing about the opposition, suggesting Newcastle had squandered an opportunity against inferior opponents. "The frustrating thing is, in my opinion, they're not a very good team, compared to us. We shouldn't lose to them," he remarked.

Gordon acknowledged that away fixtures present inherent difficulties due to atmosphere and support, but reserved his harshest criticism for the home performance. "Away is obviously more difficult because they have their fans and the atmosphere but at home we should not lose that game. Not with the first half that we had, but again we have not been good enough with the start to second halves and it's an ongoing problem," he concluded.