A selection of Newcastle United supporters were left reacting to the angry tantrum thrown by Matt Ritchie after he was substituted off in the clash against Tottenham on Saturday.
The Scottish winger was replaced by Christian Atsu with just over 20 minutes left to play, having delivered the cross which saw Joselu equalise after the opening goal for Spurs, before Dele Alli netted a winner for the away side at St James’ Park.
After being brought off, Ritchie reacted angrily, mouthing some expletives before throwing a water bottle down in evident frustration, and fans were generally supportive, insisting it was the wrong tactical move from Rafael Benitez and that his reaction was warranted.
This is Futbol has rounded up a selection of the supporters’ tweets:
https://twitter.com/J053PH_W3LL5/status/1028272153446232064
https://twitter.com/burns_burns251/status/1028379852888522752
https://twitter.com/andyh_1982/status/1028264230372425728
https://twitter.com/xskye69x/status/1028264395040796672
Good.
He was having a good game. Rafa mate your subs are generally terrible. Also Yedlin's distribution was appalling.
— Peter Monaghan (@Peter14870646) August 12, 2018
That is great as it shows that he really cares and is obviously frustrated that it wasn't going the way they wanted.
— John Clarke (@johnc_DCS) August 12, 2018
Pathetic substitution ! Totally killed our drive
— Toon4 (@zekiv6) August 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/ShieldsMag/status/1028322195049771010
Opinion
Some might think that Ritchie’s reaction was petulant and disrespectful towards his manager, but even with their love for Rafael Benitez, the Toon Army are supporting the winger. It is quite easy to see why as well, for Atsu was a passenger following his arrival into the fray, while Ritchie was changing the game by himself. The passion shows that he felt he could have offered more and maybe Benitez would be wise to heed that thinking going forward, for the last thing he wants is a key member of his squad to be unhappy. Still, he will hope that the Scot embraces that frustration for his future performances and applies it on the pitch. He is one of the hardest workers St James’ Park has ever seen and the supporters will back him day in, day out for as long as he continues to put his everything into securing a result, even if his displays are not quite as consistent as they should be.