Knives are out for Eddie Howe

Here we go again.

Defeat on Boxing Day and the knives are out for Eddie Howe.

It’s quite astonishing if you ask me.

Four short years ago and Newcastle United were sat 19th in the table, with ten points from eighteen games, absolutely nailed on for relegation.

After a Covid induced start for Eddie Howe, the results didn’t kick in overnight. In fact, Howe registered just one win in his first ten games at the helm before winning for only the second time at Elland Road on 22 January 2022, and the bandwagon finally began to gather momentum.

In addition to that Houdini act from Eddie in his maiden season, Howe has also steered Newcastle United to two Champions League campaigns and two Wembley Finals, winning one of them, landing our first domestic trophy since Jimmy Scoular held the FA Cup aloft in May 1955.

For me, that represents a hefty dose of goodwill and whilst no one can be certain of when the curtain will come down on Howe’s tenure, I’m of the view that it won’t be any time soon.

Eddie Howe has worked wonders with the squad of players he inherited, as well as developing the careers of those selected to join the project.

It’s perhaps instructive to recall that the starting eleven which landed that first trophy, comprised three from the Mike Ashley era, whilst all but Will Osula that sat on the bench at Wembley pre-dated Howe’s arrival at Gallowgate.

All this delivered against a backdrop of instability in the boardroom, with structural changes off the pitch continuing to cast a shadow, Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi jettisoned in the summer of 2024, just after the club found itself in a disastrous PSR position led to the departure of two talented youngsters, both of whom are arguably better than those who joined the ranks the following summer.

That unedifying spectacle played out shortly after sporting director Dan Ashworth was bound for pastures new, tending to his garden whilst his successor was hired, Paul Mitchell’s tenure even shorter and even more controversial, Ross Wilson now occupying that role. At the top of the tree, David Hopkinson, Darren Eales’ successor as CEO. took what seemed like an eternity to appoint, Eales being forced to announce his own departure owing to ill health some time ago.

All the while, Eddie Howe was forced to become the public face of the Alexander Isak debacle, no one else seemingly prepared to talk about the Swede downing tools.

Then in his press conference ahead of the match at Old Trafford, Eddie Howe was forced to address the club’s failure to announce plans for a new stadium, something Eales had said was imminent over a year ago, with Howe admitting the whole situation is in a state of limbo.

Critics may point to the backing Howe has had in the transfer market and how obstinate many fans feel he can be with team formations and the point at which his substitutes enter the fray, but Newcastle United are participating in four competitions and have been playing every midweek for months (apart from international ‘breaks’ and the recent very rare six days between the Chelsea and Man U matches), a demanding run of fixtures that won’t abate until the beginning of March at the earliest.

Whilst outlay in the transfer market has been nothing short of sensational (compared to under Mike Ashley) since Howe’s arrival, it’s fair to say that the squad still lacks strength in depth if competing on all four fronts is a stated objective (why wouldn’t it be?), so Eddie Howe has to balance limited time on the training pitch with player welfare.

It’s against this backdrop that we need to show patience and understanding, especially for those clamouring for the likes of Wissa to play alongside Woltemade, the former just back from a lengthy lay off, whilst the latter looks utterly exhausted, having been involved far more than anyone would have liked at his new club.

Admittedly, Newcastle United is not firing on all cylinders and with such poor away form it is difficult to see how we can negotiate our way past Manchester City over two legs in the League Cup semi-final, but on our day we can beat anyone and we’ve seen Eddie Howe outwit opposing managers time and again.

Whether he’ll out manoeuvre Guardiola next month remains to be seen, but he’s on the precipice of a third trip to Wembley in four years and as long as Eddie Howe remains in charge, he’ll have my backing that’s for sure.