Alan Shearer vented his frustration about Newcastle United regularly resting players after a Leicester fan accused him of having an agenda.
The Foxes fan was unhappy that the Magpies legend was unimpressed during BBC’s coverage of the Foxes’ 2-1 lost to Newport County over their side resting players for the FA Cup.
Shearer responded to the fact quite quickly to point out that he has no agenda and is frustrated yearly over the Magpies getting knocked out of the tournament due to not playing their first-team.
“Shut up you p—. Yes I constantly moan every f…… year Newcastle rest players and constantly get knocked out of the @EmiratesFACup,” tweeted Shearer via his verified account.
OPINION
Shearer is right to call teams out for resting players for the FA Cup as it makes the tournament feel less prestigious every time they do it. While it’s understandable that the clubs want to prioritise the Premier League, certain teams seem unwilling to pursue cup success even when comfortable in the division. Leicester City for example probably could have afforded to play more of their first-team against Newport and it ended up costing them their place in the tournament. It’s also worth noting that while the Magpies are clearly in a relegation battle, given their size they should have a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts. However after dropping the ball in the last few transfer windows it’s easy to see why Rafa Benitez has been reduced to resting key players when it comes to FA Cup fixtures. The Magpies drew 1-1 with Blackburn on Saturday so they can still progress, but it will no doubt be a tricky task for them.