This is the big problem with Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe watched on as his Newcastle United team drew 2-2 with Chelsea.

The early Saturday kick-off saw United 2-0 up within the first twenty minutes and that was the lead at half-time. However, it could and should have been at least twice that advantage by the break, as Newcastle failed to take other great chances.

Having not had a kick in the opening half and absolutely battered by United, out of nowhere Chelsea got back in the game with a free-kick from 30+yards that Aaron Ramsdale should have saved for sure.

With 24 minutes left of the 90, a long clearance from the Chelsea keeper somehow ended up with the score going to 2-2, Malick Thiaw getting everything wrong and then slipping as well, leaving Joao Pedro with a clear path to goal and finishing past Ramsdale.

Other than their two goals, whilst Chelsea improved in the second half, it was still Newcastle who had by far the better chances.

After the match, Eddie Howe pointed to another huge factor that had gone against him and his team in this match, when at 2-1 up, Newcastle United were denied the clearest of penalties, when Chalobah steamed into Anthony Gordon and made no attempt to play the ball, just knocking the Newcastle player with such force that he ended up off the pitch…

“Anywhere else on the pitch that is a blatant free-kick. When it went to VAR I thought, ‘This is going to be overturned, it’s a clear error’.  It is as clear a penalty as I have seen. The defender only focuses on Anthony [Gordon].  They said it is shielding but I don’t agree with that analysis. I am really disappointed that wasn’t given.”

Eddie Howe was of course absolutely correct with what he said.

However, this was all done in his usual understated low key respectful way. No ranting and raving about the injustice.

The thing is as well, Eddie Howe could and probably should, have gone on and listed the appalling catalogue of astonishing injustices inflicted on Newcastle United in this match from the match officials.

It was absolutely beyond belief just how many match changing decisions the cowardly incompetent referee Andy Madley and VAR Peter Bankes failed to give to Newcastle United.

It was comical really, just not in a funny way though.

Three penalties were absolutely clear and none of them given, as well as the Gordon one, Eddie Howe could (and should) have gone into detail on the Fofana handball in the first half, when Reece James took out Harvey Barnes in the penalty area when playing only the man and never touching the ball. Then the two blatant red cards that were missed, Garnachoo over the top with studs down Jacob Ramsey’s shin with no attempt to go for the ball, then Reece James in the closing stages when last man and pulling Harvey Barnes back just outside the box.

This is the problem with Eddie Howe, the fact he doesn’t go wild after the final whistle and make sure this catalogue of appalling injustices is headlines, counts against Newcastle United in the post-match analysis.

I can guarantee you that if this had been the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool on the receiving end, we would never have heard the last of it. Enzo Maresca, Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot would all have been talking about nothing else, they would at great length have ranted about everything that had gone against them, even stuff that hadn’t actually happened, AND the media would have absolutely been all over it. Their clubs would have demanded answers, publicly called out the match officials, wrote to Howard Webb and so on.

All the headlines would have been about how Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool had been robbed, how this was all a disgrace, a conspiracy and so on.

Instead, the headlines were all about ‘Brilliant Chelsea fightback’ and so on, the fact Newcastle United were still by far the better team overall AND especially, how they had been absolutely cheated by the match officials, was restricted to a minor mention about Eddie Howe mentioning the Anthony Gordon (non-)decision. Indeed, such was the feeble reporting of the shocking performances by Madley and Bankes, the Newcastle v Chelsea match wasn’t even the main story on ref watch on Sky Sports, when Dermot Gallagher reviews contentious decisions. He did eventually get to our game but even then, only the Gordon penalty incident was reviewed, and whilst of course he agreed it was shocking that Newcastle didn’t get a penalty, that was it. No calling out all the other shocking moments that had gone against NUFC.

It is a major weakness in our football media. It is like teachers pandering to the most obnoxious worst behaved child, the football media does the same with the likes of Slot, Maresca and Arteta.

Why weren’t national journalists making a huge deal of this worst ever performance in recent times of the match officials at Newcastle v Chelsea?

They choose not to and fact is that it would be if Eddie Howe and Newcastle United acted like these other managers and clubs do when getting even a minor injustice, that they may have covered the match properly.

Instead, it was just a lazy reporting based around the two goals Chelsea scored, to come back and draw.

The thing is though…

Having said all that though.

I wouldn’t swap Eddie Howe for any of that lot, both as a manager and especially when it comes to their behaviour, whether before, during, or after matches.

I love the fact that just like Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby before him, we have a manager in Eddie Howe who is honest, who behaves in a proper and respectful manner, doesn’t embarrass himself with his behaviour and claims of injustices that don’t exist, doesn’t make excuses to deflect from the focus on himself and how his team have performed.

The frustration is immense after what we witnessed on Saturday and the fact that the media have totally failed to call Andy Madley and Peter Bankes to account, is beyond shameful.

Part of me does wish that Eddie Howe had on this occasion acted liked the embarrassment that is Mikel Arteta. In reality though, the far far bigger part of me is still just so grateful that we have a manager in Eddie Howe who shows dignity and integrity with everything thrown at him, good and bad.