Fans will always be up and down depending on current form. I would have thought the club will have taken into account this season has been a freak one for injuries and suspensions so they aren't going to judge on the basis of one campaign. My impression has always been that they trust Howe implicitly, especially since he was to all intents and purposes the DoF for a year before Ashworth rocked up.
That said, some questions will be there about tactics, use of the squad and if it could have been handled better. We'll have a full squad to play with next time round, and how we perform next season is what Howe will be judged on. Even so PIF would be very reluctant to sack him given the amount of dedication and hard work he's put in. I mean, who would you bring in that would be guaranteed to do a better job?