Eddie Howe - Losing Confidence?
Our Head Coach of almost five years has departed Newcastle United - what does it say about the direction of the club?
Eddie Howe’s departure from Newcastle United removes the last vestige of Amanda Staveley at our club. It is the end of an era. A time in the club’s history that in future years will be remembered fondly.
With Howe’s departure come far reaching questions about the direction of the club under the management of CEO David Hopkinson and Director of Football, Ross Wilson.
Let’s be absolutely crystal clear about the position the club is in right now.
A respected and successful Head Coach with success and experience, has decided to leave a Premier League club with which he had developed a significant affinity. As news of his departure broke through the media channels, there is a question remaining about the future of club captain, Bruno Guimarães who is expected to join up with his team-mates in the La Manga training camp in Spain following his extended holiday after the World Cup.
That question is whether Hopkinson-Wilson will sanction the sale of Guimarães to Arsenal. It is clear Guimarães wishes to leave Newcastle United and follow Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona) and Sandro Tonali (Tottenham) to both further his career and significantly increase his salary.
Whilst we can say both Tonali and Gordon under-performed last season and good transfer fees were gained in their sales, recruitment to replace them has been less than stellar. Director of Football, Ross Wilson has failed to sign a single one of his top targets - we have been gazumped very publicly by Liverpool and Aston Villa.
As I write, goalkeeper James Trafford is in the process of joining Leeds United from Man City. Trafford, you will remember has been a target of Newcastle United for coming up to three years. Trafford and The Mags isn’t happening.
It remains to be seen how well the players Wilson has recruited into United perform this coming season. On the face of it, they are very young and lack experience. As replacements for Gordon and Tonali they appear woefully short. They join a squad with last summer’s recruitment wholly unconvincing. There is three weeks to the season’s opening game at SJP v Liverpool but right now we are short throughout the squad.
We may be on the verge of signing a new goalkeeper but at the time of writing, we have Nick Pope who last season looked to have his best years behind him to put it kindly. The alternative is a lad we have signed from the French Second Division. No cover at full-back, no recruitment to replace Lacelles and Krafth at central defence and no experienced head to take up Kieran Trippier’s elder statesman role. We await news on Schär following his injury at the friendly at Bristol on Wednesday.
I would be delighted to be proven wrong but I have little confidence in our goalscoring threat of Wissa, Osula and Woltemade.
What Howe’s departure tells us is that our new departed Head Coach has little confidence in the squad taking shape. He has looked at “the project” (sic) and decided to leave.
Eddie Howe hitting the exit is a de-facto vote of no confidence in those immediately above him.
Howe’s immediate concern might be a squad that has been gutted of quality and experience. He would also be entitled to ask - as we do - what is happening with the big ticket projects that will allow United to compete more consistently at the top end of the table - namely a training ground and a new stadium.
Nothing doing on either score in the here and now.
Howe’s departure underlines that the dreams that ran wild in the weeks after the takeover in October 2021 are never going to become reality. Think more about Newcastle United as Brighton on Tyne (if that can be achieved) and less than Man City Mk2. Reread those indignant Sportswashing columns in the media and laugh. There is going to be some significant rethinking amongst those who clutched their pearls so tightly when the PIF took the controlling interest in United.
Why are we here?
With everything it’s down to PSR-SCR. It’s tempting to blame the Premier League and accuse them of running a rigged competition. That argument carries significant traction in my opinion. But remember United was fined by UEFA and is subject to financial conditions. The club lost £100m last year and was only able to avoid a breach of PSR-SCR by some jiggery pokery with the ownership of SJP.
A change in strategy was inevitable. The strategy has been pursued with considerable energy by Hopkinson - Wilson. Newcastle United is under their control.
They are now in the frontline of Newcastle United. If this next season is a success (finishing eighth or above as a minimum) then they will be garlanded as geniuses. If the season unravels then they are firmly in the firing line.
What of Eddie Howe?
The man has carried Newcastle United for the thick end of five years. As the boardroom has played musical chairs with executives and directors arriving and leaving via the revolving door at SJP, Howe has been a constant. Calm, intelligent and the perfect ambassador for Newcastle United.
His record stands up to any scrutiny. He has saved United from relegation, built teams to reach two League Cup finals and along with two Champions League qualifications, won our first trophy in seventy years. Howe is the most successful Newcastle United manager in my lifetime. He stands alongside Kevin Keegan, Sir Bobby Robson and Joe Harvey.
He will be back. I predict he will be managing a PL club in his own good time. There is a strong possibility his new club will be ahead of Newcastle United. Bookmark this. We have lost a significant talent whatever the reasons.
Right now, I’m sure those of us who can avoid the unwarranted criticism of Howe on social media will wish Eddie Howe all the best. I was concerned to hear that the United job had affected his mental health. I hope a deserved sabbatical will allow a good man to recharge his batteries and come back reenergised.
I hope Eddie Howe can find it in himself to think as well of us as the overwhelming majority of us do of him.
Thanks Eddie, Jason and Graeme.
Keep On, Keepin’ On,
Michael Martin @TFMick1992.bsky.social
I suspect there’s a variety of reasons behind Howe’s departure but I think the PSR rules must be hugely frustrating to deal with. All the media comments yesterday were that ‘you can’t keep on selling your best players’. I’d agree entirely with that but I’d be amazed if our current owners want to do that. They spent big initially & you could say that’s causing us issues now. That spending brought the success we’ve all craved & some momentum to the club’s progress. But it also took us over the spending rules & we had to sell Anderson & Minteh. Even being in the Champions League twice hasn’t helped put us in a much stronger position. Selling 3 key players at once is football suicide but seems to be required to stay on the right side of the rules. But that just means we’re going round in circles & any momentum has stalled. I’m sure the owners would like to spend more but they can’t. Being like Brighton, Brentford & Bournemouth just means you have a ceiling of achievement, get a patronising pat on the head by the top 6 clubs & then have to start again because they buy all your best players because the can offer higher wages due to years if making profits from buying success when there were no PSR rules. No wonder Howe had enough! It could be years/decades before we can spend at the higher level needed, even though we have the money now! Currently, our ‘new’ model is just the same one as under Ashley but we have far more money available that we aren’t allowed to spend! Definitely corrupt!
Agree with almost all of that except "Eddie Howe hitting the exit is a de-facto vote of no confidence in those immediately above him"
I see it more as him, wisely, looking after himself for once