Eddie Howe saved Newcastle from relegation after coming in early November back in 2021 with Newcastle second bottom of the Premier League.
Howe revived the side, after bringing in five new players in January 2022, and we ended up finishing in 11th pace on 49 points.
Last season was unbelievable, with Newcastle finishing in 4th place on 71 points and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Last season we also reached the Carabao Cup final but were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Wembley.
But the strain of 2 games a week this season, coupled with far too many injuries to some of our star players, has put a spanner in the works, so to speak.
We reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last Saturday, but Newcastle are struggling in 10th place in the league and we are currently out of a European slot for next season.
Premier League Table 2023-2024
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tottenham | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 66 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 63 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 38 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 23 | 60 |
| 8 | Man United | 38 | 18 | 14 | 6 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 | West Ham | 38 | 14 | 13 | 10 | -14 | 52 |
Alan Shearer backs Eddie Howe to put things right, and this is what the Newcastle icon has said on BBC Radio One:
“This season has been tough for Newcastle, but there have been mitigating circumstances, the injuries, especially to Nick Pope and Joelinton,”
“They miss both of those a lot.”
“Eddie Howe still has plenty of credit in the bank.”
“Whatever happens this season, whether they finish mid-table or qualify for Europe, Eddie Howe will be Newcastle’s manager next season.”
We agree with Alan’s reasoning, but next season will have to be (a lot) better than this season.
And that will be helped if Newcastle either don’t qualify for Europe or we do qualify in the easier Europa League or Europa Conference, but that still means 2 games a week, especially in the first half of the season.
What do you think about this?
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224 comments so far
Munster Mag
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Comment #41I just hope Eddie doesn’t keep playing longstaff and burn till the end of the season. Wud be a poor indication if he does.
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:08 PM
Comment #42Forest deducted 4 points
More to come for Everton – back to ten?
JaveaToon
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Comment #43Academy lads beat the mackems 3-2.
Magscar…That would be my guess, back to 10 points.
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:12 PM
Comment #44onmeedsun,
Aye, I was at that game as well, that was when the injuries started to come thick and fast.
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Comment #45A poor indication of what Munster.
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:17 PM
Comment #46If there were truly nothing to play for then yes blood more youngsters butI don’t accept that as yet
Conference is the lesser of European competitions but may help retain some players, is more winnable than CL, continues Squad experience and fans will enjoy entertaining games
On flip side we’d be back to games every 3 days , playing Thursdays and Sundays ( then again how often do we play Saturday 3.00pm)
With Anderson fit and maybe Targett Howe will have opportunities to rest Longstaff and Burn as well as considering Hall and Miley
I also wonder about Tino in midfield?
No problem with some considered rotation to win us some winnable games coming up
Adamn_92
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:20 PM
Comment #47Howe won’t give up until it’s mathematically impossible for us to not get Europe. Even then, if that happens, he’ll want the team to not end on a whimper and demand they finish strong regardless.
If he believes playing Longstaff and Burn is the best way to achive that, then he’ll do that. Whether some fans believe that’s the right choice or not is up to them.
Howe has already said he’s protecting Miley to an extent due to his age and how much he’s been used/relied on this season. Which personally I think is fantastic man management. Which also means the likelihood Longstaff will continue to play the majority of remaining games.
Too many times you see young players thrown into the limelight and it doesn’t end well for them. A promising season or 2 and then all downhill. Having a good man manager like Howe to know when he needs to be played/protected/rested etc is exactly what Miley needs and will benefit him immensely in the long run.
Munster Mag
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:24 PM
Comment #48A poor indication of his ability to learn.
Munster Mag
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:26 PM
Comment #49Every single club is targeting Dan now and the goals conceded have to be addressed. Longstaff looks awful. Why not take a tiny risk and play miley?
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:29 PM
Comment #50Adam
Good point re Miley even though is a bit of a cliche
Liverpool have been playing few otheirs recently including the one that got away – Bobby Clark
There is also another side to protecting players and that is how wise is it to play a player everygame carrying an injury and having to have pain killing injections?
There was no choice in both situations until Willock returned but now we have Anderson back as well I think a rest for Sean must be considered
Munster Mag
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:32 PM
Comment #51100% Magscar.
Eddie already making noises about low spend in the summer. If he shows too much loyalty to certain players it will be the end of him at nufc
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:35 PM
Comment #52Adamn_92,
The manager will continue to be berated every time we don’t win. If we win with Longstaff and Burn in the team it won’t get mentioned. However, should we lose it automatically becomes the wrong decision.
Hibbit
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:36 PM
Comment #53you wish,
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Comment #54So you’re qualified to tell us the manager has an inability to learn. Your arrogance is astonishing.
Hibbit
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:38 PM
Comment #55Munster continues to undermine Eddy at every opportunity
Munster Mag
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:44 PM
Comment #56I haven’t said that. And your narrow mindedness is boggling, but we saw that in the past.
We need a strong finish to the season. I think we will get it, but I’m not fully confident of it due to a lack of consistency
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:47 PM
Comment #57Munster,
You said exactly that, if he keeps picking Longstaff he’s showing an inability to learn. So because you think Miley should be played instead then the manager isn’t capable of learning.
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Comment #58Munster,
When we were first linked with Howe you described him as no better than Pardew and spent the next few months telling us about his defensive frailties, you clearly had issues with him from the off. When Steve Bruce came in, the feeling of utter devastation suffered by the vast majority of fans on the news was overwhelming yet you wouldn’t have a bad word said against him. Why was that?
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:53 PM
Comment #59Burn’s vulnerability as a converted CB to LB hasn’t just arisen but has been successfully dealt with by players on left side and system we’ve adopted and given the team other benefits like Trippier bombing on and extra height in both boxes
Losing Pope and also Joelinton, Botman, Willock, Anderson, Barnes, Targett for substantial parts of season has thwarted that protection and yes made it an obvious line of attack for oppositions which we’ve struggled with
Also options fo LB weren’t there other than switching Trips or Tino but that then affected our game in other ways
Having said that i’d be very surprised if Burn is our regular LB next season but unless FFP(PSR) changes in close season ( increases allowed losses sunstantially) is likely to be still here
Adamn_92
Mar 18, 2024 at 3:55 PM
Comment #60Magscar
I don’t think comparing Miley with us and someone like Bobby Clark at Liverpool makes much sense, respectfully.
Miley has played roughly 2,000 minutes this season. Clark has played roughly 450 minutes. That’s a huge difference, before you even take into account the fact Miley was also involved in much higher impact games like Champions League.
So not really sure we can compare them or a lot of other youngsters that have been played by Liverpool, for similar reasons.
I get your point about Sean playing through the pain, but we also run the risk of pushing Anderson into that role too soon from his own injury. Do you risk re-injury to Anderson by rushing him back? Or play Sean who you know can make it through with an injection? What’s the bigger risk?
I’m sure as Anderson get’s match fit and continues to recover, we’ll see far more of him.
Transfer Sage
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Comment #61I think we do need to push for Europe and I’m sure we will. We can’t just give younger players game time if they aren’t the best option to win.
If we got conference league we’d still be taking roughly £2mil a game from matchday revenue, so minimum 3 games, ideally more. Plus TV and price money. And then boosting our coefficient. Plus it gives players and the staff another season getting used to training around midweek games.
Transfer Sage
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Comment #62Munster
I don’t think playing Burn and Longstaff would show an inability to learn as we’ve seen in some games, Wolves being a good example, that we played those players but adjusted our style to suit them more.
For me I’d not judge Howe on who he plays but how the team perform.
mctoon
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:13 PM
Comment #63Unfortunately the bedsheet brigade and some of the other dissenters on here, clearly believe we’re already on a level footing with the so called ‘big six’.
The Irony is, it was purely down to Eddie Howe’s management last season, that’s given them that belief.
Talk about killing the golden goose …
Adamn_92
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Comment #64I think part of the Hall mystery probably lays with what Howe is seeing in training. He mentioned he doesn’t feel that Hall is defensively ready and needs work on defensive aspects of his game.
That to me, suggests that Howe and the coaching team are seeing Hall make basic defensive errors, or struggle to manage defensive situations well, make defensive decisions.
If he’s making such mistakes in training, it would be an incredibly dumb decision to then throw that player into matches, where those same mistakes have very real consequences and can lose you a match. As opposed to playing someone like Burn, who is likely far more defensively sound, but just a bit slower.
That’s just my guess on it anyway. No clue if it’s true.
Transfer Sage
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:28 PM
Comment #65Adamn
I’m definitely guilty of this as I couldn’t understand why Hall couldn’t get a game but in reality he hasn’t had much first team experience anywhere. He had a few flashes for Chelsea but nothing solid and concrete.
There was a good post over the road that basically said he was bought for the future and would possibly have been loaned out, if we hadn’t had to loan him ourselves to comply with FFP. Therefore any minutes are almost a bonus for him. If we didn’t have such a big injury crisis he might have had minutes in the U23s too.
Essex Geordie Bill
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Comment #66Pity about Tino, he was looking good. Wonder if he will travel to Dubai with the squad.
Essex Geordie Bill
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:34 PM
Comment #67Wasn’t Saniola (?) the AV Player also mixed up with the illegal betting thing with Tonali but he is able to play with no suspension, what am I missing?
Transfer Sage
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:37 PM
Comment #68EGB
Zaniolo… he wasn’t charged for it. He apparently only used those sites for poker and black jack, so nothing to do with football. Just an Italian legal matter for using illegal betting websites.
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:40 PM
Comment #69Eddie was by no means the first choice on lips of most if not all NUFC fans at takeover point way back in Oct 21
His appointmnent did surprise me to a certain extent until i’d had chance to digest the reality of the situation when the celebrations had worn off
As soon as I listened to his pressers I accepted he was a very good choice for our predicament
Almost guaranteed relegation and so called “good” managers happy to wait until the position cleared before throwing a hat in ring
Emery was reported first choice of some of Board and after consideration turned it down only to soon after join a similar rebuild of a club but in total safety in Villa – not that I’d call him out for that
He had of course “failed” at Arsenal !?
Fans mostly were (reluctantly in some cases) prepared to get behind Eddie ( although not the big name expected) especially as he went on to save us that season and then worked a miracle last
It’s perhaps human nature for those fans to not be prepared to stick with a lesser name who they didn’t really want in first place, as soon as difficulties arise and we are having a poorer season than the last even though that was exeptional
I get that maybe deep down the board and many fans really saw him as a temporary fix keeping seat warm for the Star name ( and of course every manager does eventually lose their job unless moving on)
However he completely exceeded expectations which has become a rod for his back now as those reluctant backers now want a big name as they always saw him as a limited seat warmer
OK there are others losing faith and feeling uneasy after a troubled season but not yet calling for his head
For me a top 7 fiinish, “Group of Death” in CL nearly ovecome and 2 QF cup appearances after the Gods of Cup draws and Injuries decided we needed punishing would have been something I could have settled for last August
Unless you’re Man City progress isn’t exponenial and there are poorer seasons ( even they don’t always win the treble) which have to be expected but accounted for and steps taken to remedy
So some have already arrived at the view that the guy they never expected but tolerated has now reached the point of his competence and also his luck has run out
They are as entitled to their views as are those who believe Eddie is still not the finished article and can grow with our reborn club and we should debate but not berate them – as they should us!
We are all desperate for success but the takeover was only the magic bullet for Ashley and the building of a sleeping giant is going to take much longer in current climate and won’t be without missteps some backwards
At the end of the day I want Eddie given time but have faith still in owners and will back them whatever happens as they do have Club interests at heart
Davas
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:41 PM
Comment #70EGB
Yeah I agree about Tino. I was hoping he’d get a few games in his normal position and I also think he was suited to the role Murphy played against city
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:50 PM
Comment #71mctoon,
#63, I’d never looked at it that way. Killing the golden goose indeed. Constant criticism because he hasn’t over achieved again, he may well have done if not for all the injuries.
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:51 PM
Comment #72TS
I think your reading of Hall situation is sound
He was bought for future and like Kuol, Minteh and Ashby would have been loaned out but for the fact the only way we could get him was buy now pay later ( which suited Chelsea who are desperate for funds before June 30 this year)
Even established players like Bruno, Botman Isak Gordon had to settle for several games before being deemed fit for Eddie’s system
Given his few appearances and assuming we resolve LB first team place this Summer he is likely to go out on loan if only for part season to get regular game time
Ths is the blueprint we will follow more and more to compete in the restrictions imposed by PSR and rumours are PIf are looking to go down multi-club route to facilitate this more
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 4:56 PM
Comment #73There’s a rumour that Fulham will have to pay Chelsea £4M if he ‘doesn’t’ start the remaining games. It’s not inconceivable that we managed to get a clause where he could be a whole lot cheaper if Hall doesn’t play a certain amount of games. I honestly don’t think it’s as cut and dry as Howe not thinking he’s ready.
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:03 PM
Comment #74Adam
I wasn’t comparing Miley to Clark ( without looking back can’t see how it might have come across?)
I was simply referencing that even a big club like Liverpool with a quality squad( and not only lower sides) do find it beneficial to bring youngun’s on as circumstances allow to develop them as well as plug gaps
Yes Anderson is available but has to be introduced as his stats allow – just like Willock and Barnes but my point was the options are now changing from – it had to be Miley, Bruno and Longstaff as the only fit first team midfielders regardless of age and/or pain killing injections
Decisions are all about balance of risk and with greater fitness data and mmedical insight managers are best placed to make those calls
magscar
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:13 PM
Comment #75Jail
The “clause” theory is a possibilty but I can’t help but wonder if he was say as PL ready (or likely to become so with a run of games) as Tino or MIley then notwithstanding the money equation our situation has been desperate enough for that to have taken second place in Eddie’s thinking
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:13 PM
Comment #76Sorry, should have said Broja.
Raj of Hailsley
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:15 PM
Comment #77magscar,
Just the way Matt Ritchie has been getting five minutes ahead of him tells me something is going on.
Novocastrian66
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:17 PM
Comment #789 of the 16 players who played in Saturday’s game were here under Bruce, 10 if Miley is included. 12 if one adds Ritchie and Dummett.
Howe is performing miracles with the players available to him.
Key players are unavailable for whatever reason.
Anyone calling for Howe to be replaced has to ask themselves who would do a better job given the circumstances?
The answer would be less than one.
If the conclusion is more than one, they have to ask who would have taken the job if Howe didn’t?
Emery didn’t fancy it. He probably thought he couldn’t keep us up.
Fenham to Chalfont
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:29 PM
Comment #79Munter,
I’ve heard it all now…
You claim that Eddie Howe doesn’t have the ability to learn.
Put this in your wacky backy pipe:
– Eddie can change any average player(s) into top players with ease through dedication to making a player better.
– Eddie took over a side that was destined for relegation and the second half of that season that same side hit top 3 form and a record breaking achievement to not be relegated.
– Eddie against all odds took that same team that staved of relegation the season before and qualified for UCL and a top 4 finish.
– Eddie is the best professional manager we’ve had since the late great SBR.
– Eddie has malganated a dressing room with belief and confidence. He man manages players the way only he can achieve. The players know this and would run through brick walls for him, they wouldn’t react the same to a new manager.
– Eddie although under severe pressure this season because of the horrendous injury record and unrivalled bad luck has never whinged on or whined on like your Klopp, Pep or Arteta would most definitely do. He has been as steady as a rock and never wavered once, he has been the perfect leader and gentleman and lead by example…That is a proper professional manager.
So Munster, who do you suggest NUFC replace Eddie with? A manager who can do all or better than that above…I’ll be very interested by your response.
Fenham to Chalfont
Mar 18, 2024 at 5:51 PM
Comment #80I’d hang my hat on it that Klopp, Pep, Arteta couldn’t have achieved what Eddie has at NUFC in such a short amount of time and with FFP restrictions as he has. But you get a clown from Ireland saying Eddie doesn’t have the ability to learn.
We all know it’s just an overgrown child fishing for spats, what sensible grown adult would come onto a football blog just to intentionally fish for reactions? I’ll tell you what, it’s an insufferable village idiot that’s what. Then you still have posters such as the Bard and this Saratoga thinks he posts well and they enjoy reading his shite. lol whatever floats ye boats lads but I don’t suffer fools gladly 😉