Anthony Gordon opens up on regret at Newcastle after 'overstepping the mark'

Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon was anxious for days and had a "sick feeling" in his stomach after he "overstepped the mark" in April last year.

Gordon, who joined the Magpies from Everton in January 2023 for a reported £45 million, reacted furiously to being substituted during their clash against Brentford.

Having been introduced by Eddie Howe at the break as Newcastle trailed 1-0, the 23-year-old was brought off in the 95th minute – a decision that irked Gordon.

In fact, after second-half goals from David Raya [OG] and Alexander Isak helped the Magpies in their bid for Champions League football, Gordon ignored Howe on the touchline.

Almost a year on from those scenes at the Gtech Community Stadium and Gordon has opened up about the incident in an interview with the Daily Mail.

"We had two days off after and I just remember the anxiety," he recalled.

"Nothing could get rid of it. I couldn't really go about my day. I was horrendous company for my family. It was that sick feeling in my stomach. I'm passionate, but that was way overstepping the mark."

He added: "Honestly, the days off killed me! Someone text saying 'Are you training with the under-23s?' I'm thinking, 'What? No one has told me so, but am I?!'

"I spoke to the gaffer as soon as I came back in. I was so surprised at how he handled me. He basically said, 'Whether you like it or not, you're going to be a success here.'

"I did not expect that conversation. He understood where I was coming from. It was the insecurity of not doing what I thought I would. I regret it, of course, but the way the manager handled it, that helped me so much."

At the time, Eddie Howe played down the situation and insisted he had no problem with Gordon.

"Anthony’s a passionate boy," Howe said. "He wants to do well, but there was seconds left on the clock, and we wanted to get Matty on, because Anthony was holding his ankle.

"He just needs to control his emotions in that moment, but there are no problems."

In another interview, Howe added: "From my side, there was 30 seconds left, and he (Gordon) was down holding his ankle, so I put an experienced player on the pitch.

"It’s no reflection on his time on the pitch (to take him off)."

Image credit: Getty

A few days later, Howe confirmed that Gordon had accepted he was "overly emotional" after being substituted and apologised for his actions.

"He [Gordon] felt the need to apologise," he said.

"A part of me understood why he acted like he did but you don't want to see a player react like that because it looks like he doesn't have the discipline he needs. If he had an issue, come and see me in private.

"That's how I felt he should have acted but he's a young player learning."

Howe added: "He accepted he was overly emotional and apologised. We had a 10/15 minute chat and moved on very quickly.

"As his manager, I need to help him. His enthusiasm, aggression and motivation levels are very high. He is fiercely determined to do well and achieve.

"That is one of his hallmarks and strengths, and we want to embrace that - we love that about him - but in certain moments he needs a cool head as well. He just needs some refining around the edges."

Gordon has been one of Newcastle's standout performers this season, scoring 10 goals in 38 games.

Topics: Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United, Premier League, Brentford, Eddie Howe

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_