Life at the top of the football pyramid is harsh.

Indeed, the requirements are pretty high these days, given Newcastle United’s objectives. They must be if they are to destabilize the established elite.

Fortunately, most of the players on the team will be used to it by now.
Lewis Hall, if he wasn’t before, will be now.

Alan Shearer recently examined the 19-year-old’s role at Chelsea last season in an article for The Athletic headlined “How Not To Score: Alan Shearer’s Guide To Missing Chances.”

He was ruthless, to say the least.

Newcastle news: Alan Shearer on Lewis Hall

 

The Newcastle veteran was reflecting on an opportunity the Blues had against Manchester United last season, which they lost 4-1 in May.

With the score at 0-0, Hall surged up the left flank and cut across for Mykhailo Mudryk, who completely missed the ball with only the goalkeeper to beat.

“Everything is terrible, starting with the ball in from Lewis Hall,” Shearer wrote. If the pass is thrown a few yards ahead of Mudryk, he can run onto it without stopping stride, but he must check before continuing. After that, he is solely responsible for the disaster.”

Lewis Hall is on a learning curve, in my opinion.
Hall’s ball may have been better in that situation.

Still, Chelsea were a shambles last season and struggled for goals in general, so blaming him would be way too harsh.

At 19, he still has a lot to learn in his career, and the fact that he hasn’t been rushed into the Newcastle first-team ahead of his £28m permanent move next summer gives him the opportunity to refine his trade.

You’d have to favor Eddie Howe given how successfully he’s taken players along on the coaching field.