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Selective Praise For The Chosen Few — What Fan Reaction To Qarabag Romp Reveals
- Dom Kureen "Dxk"
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
THERE IS a curious pattern emerging among sections of the Newcastle United support, with select players seemingly exempt from criticism, while others operate under permanently raised scrutiny.
After an emphatic European night in Azerbaijan against Qarabag, two standout performances — from Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon — were met in some quarters not with celebration, but rather with a cocktail of indifference and, in Gordon’s case, hostility.
Burn was dominant, stepping out of defence to deliver a scrumptious outside-of-the-boot assist that got the scoring underway.
Gordon, meanwhile, was a jet-heeled menace, skinning those who dared cross his path and wreaking havoc on a hapless backline with his pacy and direct approach.
Yet much of the post-match discourse centred not on Gordon’s movement, technical quality or record-chasing performance — but rather on his decision to take Newcastle’s second penalty of the night.
It was framed by some as ‘selfish’. Others labelled him ‘greedy’, ‘disrespectful’ or not a team player.
To slam that decision is to conveniently ignore history — and to grant immunity to a previous generation’s untouchable icon.
Reflections of Shearer
When Alan Shearer scored a club-record five Premier League goals against Sheffield Wednesday in 1999, the fifth came from the penalty spot.
Youngster Paul Robinson had won the foul and shaped to take it — before Shearer brushed him aside and assumed responsibility.
No outrage. No accusations of ego. Just a striker chasing history.
Fast forward almost 27 years and Gordon stood on the brink of becoming the first Newcastle player to score four goals in a single Champions League match.
The strike would subsequently sneak him into double figures for the Champions League and within three of the competition’s leading scorer, Kylian Mbappé, in what has been a remarkable continental campaign.
This wasn't a case of lazily termed 'stat-padding', it was elite ambition combined with logic.
Yes, captain Kieran Trippier appeared to favour another taker — conflicting accounts suggest he either wanted his first Champions League goal or preferred Nick Woltemade to step up — but Gordon is Newcastle’s designated penalty specialist and comfortably the most reliable from 12 yards.
His decision reflected confidence, not vanity. And he scored — convincingly, as usual.
What’s revealing is not the incident itself, but the reaction
Certain players are afforded narrative cushioning. Others are judged through a harsher lens.
Burn, despite another immense European display, received muted praise. If Sven Botman had delivered that same performance, he would have been heralded as the second coming of Ronald Koeman — such is the disparity in perception.
A 6/10 performance from Sven is equated to Dan's 8/10 by a section of the fanbase, using selective recollection to lean axes towards positive or negative narrative dependent on their feelings towards the player.
For Burn, near man-of-the-match displays are merely enough to avoid criticism. For others, poor performances are softened with context and caveats.
There is a pocket of supporters who seem quicker to doubt certain players than back them — even when the team is thriving.
Gordon, despite tormenting the opposition and converting twice from the spot, became the talking point — and not for the right reasons.
Reverse the scenario
Imagine Woltemade — fresh from scoring against Aston Villa — wins a penalty after having already completed his hat-trick, and insists on taking it against the captain’s preference, dispatching expertly to score his fourth of the night.
Would he be branded selfish? Or would it be framed as swagger, confidence, ruthlessness? It’s difficult to escape the sense of double standards.
Newcastle want to compete at the top table, and that requires players who chase records which dovetail as a benefit for the team, it needs those who demand responsibility and back themselves in decisive moments — Gordon did exactly that.
We scored 11 goals in three away games and won all three. These are the nights supporters used to dream about.
There will be dips again — football is far from linear at the best of times — and when performances warrant criticism, so be it.
But to manufacture negativity after a record-breaking win, and to target a player who dazzled, speaks less of high standards and more of pre-planned gripes towards the same individuals in spite of what they do on the pitch.
If the club’s standards have risen, the conversation around it must rise too - and that includes giving the likes of Gordon and Burn their flowers when warranted.
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