Dan Burn has never been one to shy away from a fight, and the Newcastle United defender delivered a fiery response to Jamie Carragher after the former Liverpool defender made what he described as “disrespectful” comments about the Magpies live on television.
Carragher, speaking from the Sky Sports studio before Newcastle’s trip to Crystal Palace, had suggested that Newcastle were “a mid-table side at best” and that their Champions League qualification the previous season had been “a flash in the pan.” He went further, arguing that the club’s recent form proved that they “don’t belong at the top table.”
Burn, speaking to the broadcaster after Newcastle’s hard-fought 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park, was having none of it.
“Disrespectful? Yeah, I’d say so,” Burn said, his voice firm. “He sat there and said we’re a mid-table side at best. He said our Champions League qualification was a flash in the pan. He said we don’t belong. Well, I hope he was watching. I hope he saw every minute of that. Because we’ve just won again. We’ve just fought for every ball. We’ve just showed the character that this club is built on. And he’s sitting in a studio somewhere telling the world we’re nothing. That’s disrespectful. Simple as that.”
Burn continued, his frustration clear.
“He wasn’t here. He wasn’t on the pitch. He wasn’t in the dressing room. He was sitting in a studio somewhere, watching on a screen, and he’s telling us we don’t belong. That’s not an honest assessment. That’s a lazy one. We’ve got a team full of internationals. We’ve got players who have won trophies. We’ve got a manager who knows how to win. And we’ve got a support that travels everywhere and sings for 90 minutes. So don’t sit there and tell us we’re mid-table. We’re Newcastle. We’re always going to be here. We’re always going to be fighting. And we’re always going to be winning.”
The Newcastle defender’s response drew immediate praise from the Magpies faithful, who took to social media to celebrate his words. One fan wrote: “Dan Burn is a proper Geordie. He defends his club. He defends his teammates. He defends the fans. That’s what a leader does.” Another added: “Carragher got exactly what he deserved. You don’t disrespect Newcastle and get away with it.”
But Burn wasn’t finished.
“Listen, I’ve got respect for Carragher as a player. He was a great defender. He won trophies. He knows what it takes to win at the highest level. But as a pundit, he’s got a job to do. And that job is to give his honest opinion. But there’s a way to do it. And calling us a mid-table side? Saying we don’t belong? That’s not honest. That’s just disrespectful.”
Burn was also asked whether Carragher’s comments had motivated the players.
“I heard what he said before the game,” Burn said. “I heard it all. And I’ll tell you what I thought when I heard it. I thought, ‘We’ll see.’ And we did see. We saw today. We saw what this team is capable of. We saw what this club is capable of. And we saw what happens when you write us off. You get proven wrong.”
The Newcastle defender was keen to emphasise that the win was not just about proving Carragher wrong, but about sending a message to the rest of the Premier League.
“We’re not here to be disrespected,” Burn said. “We’re here to compete. We’re here to win. And today, we did both. That’s all that matters. The pundits can say what they like. The critics can write what they like. But we know what we’re capable of. We know what we’ve got in that dressing room. And we know that when we play like we did today, we can beat anyone.”
“We’re not here to be disrespected,” he said. “We’re here to compete. We’re here to win. And today, we did both. That’s all that matters.”
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