How(e) to Debate Eddie's Future

Sam expresses his frustration at the response of many to legitimate questions about the manager

“Eddie Howe is a fantastic football manager who has gifted generations of Newcastle United fans a feeling they will neither forget nor replicate. Ever.”

“Eddie Howe might not be the manager to take Newcastle United to the next level.”

Two statements. Neither are empirically provable in the way that might satisfy say a mathematician or a scientist, but the first is undoubtedly accurate. The second? Well, that is still being tested, and this piece is not intended to reach a conclusion or even deep dive into the evidence.

No, this has been written out of annoyance at the suggestion that the two cannot sit in harmony. It is, contrary to what seems to be increasingly popular belief, entirely possible for both of the above to be true simultaneously.

Leaning into the second sentence, throwing it around, dabbing a bit on a wall and standing back to see how it looks, does not make you deluded, or ungrateful. It does not automatically mean that you want Howe P45-ed, or you have prejudged a conclusion. Whatever your ultimate landing point – whether you’ve made yourself at home there or are still to do so – you are not wrong. It is subjective.

However, there is a growing narrative, a movement if you like, that all flaws should be ignored. That, it must be said, is not coming from Howe, but it is unhealthy and blinkered. Wondering how problems are going to be addressed does not mean that you are ‘Howe out’. Where the fuck did the nuance go? Why does everything have to be so black and white?

It is OK to pose legitimate footballing questions, and to consider both the aggravating and mitigating factors. Attempting to shut down any discussion completely is odd.

Questions as to Howe’s suitability are not personal attacks. They are not even attacks at all. A Premier League manager ought to be under pressure and scrutiny at all times – it is the job. Just ask Thomas Frank (who, incidentally, has just one point less with Spurs this season).

There’s nothing being flagged by fans that Howe – if he is worth his salt and pepper, which he is - will not be asking of himself and his team. The difference between him and fans? He must find the answers. It is his squad (of 25 first team players, he has signed 18 and only two - Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy - have not had new contracts in his time).

Look, numbers and statistics can always be manipulated in the favour of the user, and there are undoubtedly some good things about Newcastle this season.

But there are also some bad ones. Too many in fact. A (joint) league high 13 points dropped from winning positions (plus another five in Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen); not a single point earned from behind; 10 games without a clean sheet; six points in eight away games, having not visited any Champions League challengers; questionable summer recruitment; a complete bottle job at the Stadium of Light. Those are all problems, albeit each will have mitigation that should also be explored.

Several issues are not just emerging, but consistent, and patterns need exploring. Statistical anomalies occur all the time, and can be overlooked as outliers, blips. But when they steadily crop up, well, then they are no longer anomalies are they?

Let’s address a couple of things. First, the delusion point. I don’t think Newcastle United have a divine right to be anywhere, and I don’t know another supporter who does (albeit there will undoubtedly be some out there). I’d love them to be in certain places, but that is very different.

Is it really unfair to hold Howe to such high standards? He has set them through his own excellence and should be lauded for moving the dial. But that also means he cannot move back. Then there is the club’s view. United are openly pushing a high ceiling, with new CEO David Hopkinson expressing the desire to be “in the debate about being the top club in the world” by 2030.

Whatever you think about how achievable that is (personal view: it isn’t, sadly), the statement makes it pretty reasonable to, as a minimum, set the bar at being consistently amongst the best five teams in England every year. No? Fail to do that, and not only are you missing Europe’s elite club competition, but you are also likely losing your best players every 12 months. It is therefore necessary for the club to stand a chance of achieving its ambition.

Finally, there is the whole “remember where you came from” spiel. Bullshit. At some point, we have to move on from where we weren’t under Mike Ashley. We can and should still be grateful – everyone is. But you don’t go into an Apple store with a kaput iPhone and expect to be fobbed off by genius in blue cotton telling you that it is still works better than the 1st gen version.

Based on evidence, Eddie Howe is an excellent manager. Based on evidence, there are legitimate questions as to whether he can be an elite manager (as there are about whether Newcastle can be an elite club). I hope he answers them positively them (and remember, he has been questioned before and provided solutions), but if he doesn’t, we will not think any less of him.

Barring an act of stupidity that he is unlikely capable of, Howe will always be a Newcastle United legend. Not being here in 6, 12, 18, 36 months’ time will not make him a failure.

Blindly, dismissively, cheerleading for him, though, does not aid his cause. It instead loses him credibility, which is presumably not the intention. Open and embrace the debate, don’t shut it down. Accept that someone might not hold the same view as you and that is perfectly reasonable. Go on. I dare you.

Is Eddie Howe able to take Newcastle to where they aspire (publicly) to be? Can Newcastle even get themselves there? See the use of question marks. Language is important. So is punctuation.

Sam Dalling

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