Milburn

Fans of clubs like Aston Villa, Man United and Tottenham would be screaming for the manager to be sacked if their team were languishing in 12th place come March. In here, though, anyone who dares to question it just gets called an idiot. I’m done. He will forever be a legend, but we need a new manager come next season. Howe out!

Doctor Newcastle visiting Tottenham… Draw at best.

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Paul Mitchell didn’t “leave”, he was pushed out because his vision clashed with Howe’s. Mitchell wanted a modern structure; Howe wants the manager to have a say in everything. That approach is outdated. In a serious football operation, the manager coaches while the DoF runs recruitment. That model clearly doesn’t suit Howe, which is why Ross Wilson has been installed as a compliant yes-man with no visible long-term plan for squad building or player trading. Put another way: Wilson will happily chase players like Jacob Ramsey on the manager’s command. Someone like Mitchell would’ve gone his own way and tried to engineer deals for hidden gems like Igor Thiago instead. And yes — Mitchell’s EQ was questionable, he’s got his own skeletons in the closet - but at least he had a clear recruitment vision. So no, Howe hasn’t been “failed from above”. He is the structure - and it’s a flawed one.

Which was Paul Mitchell’s vision as well.

Let down? He won the power battle with Paul Mitchell, who wanted to rip up the recruitment model because he didn’t think it was fit for purpose. Howe then got backed to the tune of about £250m, and a huge chunk of that looks like dreadful business. Eddie Howe is a club legend, no debate. But the idea that he’s some kind of victim here doesn’t stack up. We’d be laughing if fans of other clubs were making the same excuse.

After all he's done he deserves the whole season, but we do not know what the owners think and whether they suddenly bin him. They were trigger happy enough on the women's coach.

Horrible business this guy

Should get the whole season no matter what.

Imagine this will be a turning point for many fans if we lose today. Lots of hard matches coming up as well. Hopefully we'll turn it around in the 2nd half.

Some goal that

Hapless

But there is every chance the manager will be an issue come the end of the season. They may hesitate to use money on players until they know who will manage them next season.

No lessons learnt at Liverpool.

Which he won’t

Like Aston Villa at SJP?

We were the most naive side to visit Anfield so far this season. I love Eddie, but it’s increasingly hard to escape the feeling that this is his end game.

He is 25 years and is not exactly heading for the PL hall of fame left wingers. He has had a few bright spells, but most of the time he’s been mediocre lacking the end product that is a must have in a 4-3-3 formation. Let’s face it: he’s just not that good. I’d be surprised if bigger and better clubs than us see him as anything other than a squad player. Get rid

Agreed. I’m a big fan of the manager being the plug and play element rather than the entire club being built around one coach. That’s how you create a long-term identity and continuity. Building everything around a manager who might only stay a few years feels like a structural risk, especially if recruitment is heavily system-specific. That’s where Howe’s approach could clash with a DoF-led model (and he clashed with Paul Mitchell). Modern football is increasingly data-driven and specialised, and those processes should live at club level, not with a single manager. The exceptions (Pep, Klopp etc.) are just that – exceptions. For most clubs, a coherent club philosophy with adaptable managers makes far more sense long-term. Not least for a PSR rocked club like Newcastle.

Wissa and Elanga look like criminal business. Lack of an organization made things hard during summer of 2025, but the manager should never again be in charge of signings. Not Howe, not anyone. The Dof and his people have to run that part.

Eddie Howe has no idea. Now is the time to start talking about the manager for real. No lesssons learnt and we are going nowhere this season. We are heading for a summer where the Club will have a decision to make.

Villa are everything we are currently not. Something has to change this summer. Squad overhaul and/or new manager. We’ve stagnated, and our summer business - with the only exception of Thiaw - turned out being wowful.

Both on and off the pitch