Why the disrespecting of Anthony Gordon – Now explained

On Friday, Anthony Gordon was named Newcastle United Player of the Year.

No surprise to any of us, as the 23 year old has been absolutely outstanding.

However, the day before that NUFC announcement, there was one from the Premier League.

They named eight nominations for the Premier League Young Player of the Season award…

The official announcement from the Premier League on the eight nominated for Premier League Young Player of the Season – 9 May 2024:

You can choose from eight players who were aged 23 or under at the start of 2023/24

You, the fans, have until 12:00 BST on Monday 13 May to vote (***Go HERE to vote for Alexander Isak) for your favourite from eight nominees who were aged 23 or younger at the start of the season.

The votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be revealed on Saturday 18 May.

Phil Foden (Man City)
P32 W22 D7 L3 G16 A8
The 23-year-old Academy graduate has been one of 2023/24’s standout midfielders. He has been utilised in a more central attacking role by Pep Guardiola this season, directly contributing to 24 goals, including two hat-tricks, in Manchester City’s push to be the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles.

You can choose from eight players who were aged 23 or under at the start of 2023/24

Erling Haaland (Man City)
P28 W19 D6 L3 G25 A5
The winner of last season’s award is 2023/24’s top scorer, netting 25 times in just 28 appearances to sit four clear in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot. The 23-year-old has also set up five goals for his team-mates, making him one of only three players this season to reach 30 goal involvements.

Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
P27 W13 D2 L12 G20 A1
The Swedish forward is nominated for a second consecutive season after 21 goal involvements in only 27 matches. Isak, 24, is the first Newcastle player since Alan Shearer in 2002/03 to reach 20 goals in a Premier League season, while his minutes-per-goal rate of 101.3 is second only to Haaland’s 91.8 among players with more than two goals.

Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd)
P21 W8 D6 L7 G2 A1
Aged just 19, Mainoo has enjoyed a breakout season at Old Trafford. He has established himself as a key starter in Manchester United’s midfield and scored two important goals, a late winner at Wolverhampton Wanderers and a stunner in a draw with Liverpool.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
P31 W14 D8 L9 G21 A9
Palmer, who turned 22 this week, has had a remarkable debut campaign at Stamford Bridge after joining from Man City. He has matched Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard’s Chelsea record of 16 home Premier League goals in a season, while also becoming only the third player in history to reach 30+ goal involvements in a PL season while aged 21 or younger, after Robbie Fowler and Chris Sutton.

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
P34 W24 D5 L5 G16 A9
The winger is Arsenal’s highest scorer AND assister in a superb campaign for Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers, scoring 16 goals and setting up a further nine. The 22-year-old has created 88 chances, the fourth-most in the league.

William Saliba (Arsenal)
P36 W26 D5 L5 G2 A1 CS17
The Frenchman has been flawless for the league’s meanest defence, helping Arsenal keep 17 clean sheets – five more than anyone else – conceding only 28 goals all season. The 23-year-old has a 61 per cent tackle success rate and is one of only two outfield players in the league to play every minute of the season.

Destiny Udogie (Spurs)
P28 W16 D6 L6 G2 A3 CS2
In his first Premier League season, Italy defender Udogie, 21, has made a big impression at Spurs as an inverted attacking left-back. Although his season was cut short by injury, Udogie’s stats are impressive, directly contributing to five goals, creating 24 chances and making 68 tackles.

As you will already know no doubt, one glaring omission.

No Anthony Gordon!

Newcastle United fans appalled at this disrespect for the young winger.

If Anthony Gordon had been one of these nominations, his stats would show for the Premier League this season:

Played 33 Won 17 Drawn 3 Lost 13 Goals 10 Assists 10

So how to explain this blatant disrespect to Anthony Gordon?

Well for me, this isn’t a new thing.

I feel very much that praise from outsiders for Anthony Gordon throughout this season has been very much diluted.

If he had been doing what he has been doing (20 direct goal involvements at an average of one every 136 minutes AND non-stop running and tracking back) for certain other Premier League clubs, then the media and others would have been all over him.

It sums it up that Gareth Southgate only finally called Anthony Gordon up in his very final England squad named during this season!

IMAGO/PPAUK

Even worse, there are countless people in the media and elsewhere, who are still only talking about Anthony Gordon as an outside possibility for the England squad at this summer’s European Championships, rather than surely the absolute certainty he is now, even where Southgate is concerned!!

Yet again, if Anthony Gordon had been doing what he has been doing for certain other clubs this season, such as say… Man U or Tottenham, then things would be very different.

Which brings me back to the eight nominations that unnamed people came up with for this young player award.

Mainoo has done well at Man U BUT has he honestly come anywhere close to what Anthony Gordon has done at Newcastle United?

Anthony Gordon playing a massive part in 17 NUFC wins so far and scoring 10 plus getting 10 assists AND heavily involved in numerous other goals, plus as I say, non-stop defensive work as well.

Mainoo with only two goals and one assist, plus he has played in less than half (eight) the wins that Gordon (17) has done.

Simply ask your self this question.

If the positions were reversed and Mainoo had done what he’s done for Newcastle United and Gordon what he’s done but for Man U, who do you think would have been nominated? That’s right, we all know the answer to that!

The same with Udogie, he and the rest of the Tottenham defence were torn apart 4-0 by Newcastle United AND especially Anthony Gordon (scored one and two assists).

Tottenham have conceded a massive 58 goals so far this season and whilst I think Udogie has done ok overall, once again I would say, if he’d done that for Newcastle United and Gordon had done his stuff for Spurs instead of NUFC, there is no way on earth that Udogie (Though I admit I do love it when Tottenham are playing and on TV the commentators call him (what sounds to me like…) A Doggie!!) would be getting nominated ahead of Anthony Gordon.

I look forward to Anthony Gordon taking out any frustrations he may have at this lack of respect, when playing against Brighton this afternoon, then especially, following that up against Mainoo and his teammates at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.