Eddie Howe

[Holloway]

have we not got an XG thread that I can ignore ?

[Heron]

So as far as I can see the criticisms of Howe that we relentlessly go round and round in circles with at present are as follows:

 

- Poor transfers

- Lack of identity

- Lack of alternative strategies

- Poor substitutions 

- Poor squad selection

- Poor comments in the media

- Lost to Sunderland

 

I think that's everything (but who can ever be sure online...).

 

The factual or at least majority- agreed on defence (to note just some)...

 

- All (or the vast majority) of other inbound transfers ahead of this last window were successes.

- 0 short term first team additions in recent windows (excluding the summer)

- The sale of Isak and how he was sold

- The fact that replacements for Isak would be largely of lower quality and different attributes

- Differing strategies that were applied throughout the previous years of Howes tenure

 

The rest all seems pretty subjective to me - except the fact we lost to Sunderland.

 

Folk who want to back Howe will (like me) folk who don't - won't. You can criticise his tactics and application for personnel but one more fact is that every time that's been questioned - since the day he arrived - he has proven that wrong across the season. Fact. Finally - 2 CL finishes, 1 cup final, 1 cup SF (at least), still in all 4 competitions in January and with 1 2025 cup win. F.A.C.T.

 

People might not be happy and might have their reasons but at least base them on things like squad selection, tactics and man management and the things we know he is responsible for and don't pad them out with speculation. People doubted him in his first 7 or 8 games despite us getting better performances and have doubted him every time he has a shakey spell since. It's getting really irritating tbh. Bloke deserves our backing more than any other manager we've had since SBR.

 

Final Edit :

 

Just to touch on the speculative stuff...

 

- We don't know who controls transfers regarding who we buy and sell and how much for. But structurally (from what I've read on here) Steve Nickson appears to head up that function.

 

- We don't know there is an identity crisis. For example, we don't see somw players press and some not - what we do see is a team not performing the same functions as previous as a collective. Which isn’t so much an identity crisis but is a tactical/strategic issue. Players know what they're being tasked to do - it just isn’t working as often as we'd all like.

 

- Poor squad selection, substitutes and comments are all born out of trying to find a solution - anyone expecting to simply land on the right solution immediately is being unreasonable.

 

It also seems that everyone who is anti-Howe (a term I am using for simplicity which I know isn't entirely correct) are happy to point to the amount he has spent sonce arriving - attributing somw of the positives to the board etc. But then arent attributing some of the baords failures to them when discussing Howe. Yet the pro-Howe people pretty much acknowledge that whilst Howe is the spearhead for us - it has been a massive team effort of which they all have pros and cons.

 

But hey maybe I'm biased.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2025 by Heron

[gbandit]

10 hours ago, Palestoon said:

I back Eddie, and think he has more than enough credit in the bank to see out this season at the very least.

 

My frustration is that although I havent always agreed with all of the choices he has made, I could understand the thinking behind it. For the first time, im confused as to what the vision is for the team.

 

I think we have a bit of an identity crisis and Howe is struggling to manage it.

 

We went into this summer with 2 key positions I think everyone knew needed a major upgrade. The Right wing, and the 3rd/4th CM option. We had money to spend. It was a great opportunity to add some variety to the squad. Instead, we spent it on more like for like players in Ramsey and Elanga. Physical prowess over technical ability. 

 

Alot of us werent happy with the choice, but assumed Howe wanted to double down on plan A, and was getting the extra bodies necessary to be able to rotate regularly, and keep our intensity high with European football.

 

Instead, we seem to be playing a much more passive style. Trying to play possession to save legs. Expecting players who thrive in an aggressive/transition style to suddenly be adept at a slower style. The results have been predictable. 

 

If the plan was to mix up our style, why didnt we go after players that could do that in the summer? 

 

We look like a team that doesnt know who they are or what they are good at. And thats something thats never been an issue since hes been here. Quite the opposite, its a hallmark of Eddie's teams since he stepped foot in the door.

 

I think he deserves some patience, but their needs to be some signs of direction. Maybe with the backroom staff sorted, we'll start to see that...

Excellent post again, I think the second half of the season will make things a lot clearer. Whatever the outcomes of this season I hope he gets the summer and a proper pre-season and another six months after that even if things are going poorly. He’s a top manager and we all know it. I completely agree that things haven’t looked good on the pitch for a while now but he’s shown he can adapt and change. It all hangs as you say on this technical / athletic conflict. If we can find the former in our signings with the latter as a bonus or a secondary requirement then I’m sure we’ll see us transition into a much better team with the ball

[TRon]

10 hours ago, Palestoon said:

I back Eddie, and think he has more than enough credit in the bank to see out this season at the very least.

 

My frustration is that although I havent always agreed with all of the choices he has made, I could understand the thinking behind it. For the first time, im confused as to what the vision is for the team.

 

I think we have a bit of an identity crisis and Howe is struggling to manage it.

 

We went into this summer with 2 key positions I think everyone knew needed a major upgrade. The Right wing, and the 3rd/4th CM option. We had money to spend. It was a great opportunity to add some variety to the squad. Instead, we spent it on more like for like players in Ramsey and Elanga. Physical prowess over technical ability. 

 

Alot of us werent happy with the choice, but assumed Howe wanted to double down on plan A, and was getting the extra bodies necessary to be able to rotate regularly, and keep our intensity high with European football.

 

Instead, we seem to be playing a much more passive style. Trying to play possession to save legs. Expecting players who thrive in an aggressive/transition style to suddenly be adept at a slower style. The results have been predictable. 

 

If the plan was to mix up our style, why didnt we go after players that could do that in the summer? 

 

We look like a team that doesnt know who they are or what they are good at. And thats something thats never been an issue since hes been here. Quite the opposite, its a hallmark of Eddie's teams since he stepped foot in the door.

 

I think he deserves some patience, but their needs to be some signs of direction. Maybe with the backroom staff sorted, we'll start to see that...

 

 

This is me as well. This is the first season for me it feels like we are going backwards. It feels like Howe has accepted that we can't continue with the high intensity style that got us here, but he's still buying players for that model. The problem is, it's very difficult to buy the really elite players to move beyond that without being able to pay top wages and fees. 

 

The only real way to progress is to buy the top youngsters and aim to build a consistent CL side over the longer term. We need to be more careful on spending big on players who don't really improve us. 

[TheEntertainer]

On 28/12/2025 at 10:06, The Prophet said:

 

There has been...

 

Reasonable criticism of Howe

Unreasonable criticism of Howe

Those who want Howe to be sacked 

Those who have become entitled or spoilt 

Those who love to moan, all of the time, regardless of circumstance

 

The dissent has varied quite widely. I'm not sure why you've grouped it all together to turn yourself into some kind of e-martyr.

An e-martyr? I was replying directly to a post claiming people had become entitled, not talking about any other posts or any other commentary, not sure why you've taken my one directed comment and attached it to every comment in this thread? 

[andycap]

He seems unable to handle or plan for extra fixtures which we need a manager that can if we want to play in Europe every year. We cannot be having poor domestic seasons everytime we qualify. 

[The Prophet]

4 minutes ago, andycap said:

He seems unable to handle or plan for extra fixtures which we need a manager that can if we want to play in Europe every year. We cannot be having poor domestic seasons everytime we qualify. 

 

I completely agree getting his ideas across during a European campaign is something Eddie needs to add to his armoury, but it's his second attempt at it. The first was on the midst of an insane injury crisis.

 

Both him and the squad deserve a bit of patience on that front.

[Cf]

7 minutes ago, andycap said:

He seems unable to handle or plan for extra fixtures which we need a manager that can if we want to play in Europe every year. We cannot be having poor domestic seasons everytime we qualify. 

 

I really don't think there's a giant mystery here. 

 

This is much easier to do when you have the squad depth/quality of Arsenal, City, etc. 

 

We don't which is why we've seen this slightly more conservative energy conservation approach. It hasn't quite worked thus far but it's probably the best option available to us. 

[AJ9]

As I’ve said before, I’ll back Howe until he either leaves or is sacked. It’s pretty obvious that this season isn’t going to plan but it is in no way a sackable season. The only massive fuck up has been the mackems game, really. Beyond that, we’ve been poor with a lot of extenuating circumstances. I look at our squad and see so many players that would be nowhere near other teams competing at the level we are because of the influence of Howe. We’ve squeezed everything out of players like Joelinton, Murphy, Schar, Burn, Pope, Willock that are still here, and the likes of Wilson, Longstaff, Targett who aren’t. He’s not done well at all this season, and the recruitment has been so poor overall in the past few years, but we need strategic direction and a plan to move the club forward, not a change of manager. 

[timeEd32]

2 hours ago, andycap said:

He seems unable to handle or plan for extra fixtures which we need a manager that can if we want to play in Europe every year. We cannot be having poor domestic seasons everytime we qualify. 

It will be way better when we have a manager who only occasionally gets into the Conference League. We’ll never have this problem.

[Ginola14]

I think one of Howe's biggest strengths is working with players on the training ground and improving them over time

 

this requires a lot patience which is hard to come by in the modern game 

 

his biggest problem is having to play tough games every 3-4 days for a large part of the season, which results in very little meaningful time on the training ground 

 

that is a direct consequence of his success in getting us into the CL and progressing to another LC SF

 

there's no easy solution for him but I don't think any potential replacement would fare much better in the medium to long term under current circumstances

 

(PSR constraints, not being able to hold onto best players etc)

[mayubeproud]

7 minutes ago, Ginola14 said:

I think one of Howe's biggest strengths is working with players on the training ground and improving them over time

 

this requires a lot patience which is hard to come by in the modern game 

 

his biggest problem is having to play tough games every 3-4 days for a large part of the season, which results in very little meaningful time on the training ground 

 

that is a direct consequence of his success in getting us into the CL and progressing to another LC SF

 

there's no easy solution for him but I don't think any potential replacement would fare much better in the medium to long term under current circumstances

 

(PSR constraints, not being able to hold onto best players etc)

It's hard to name any current/former player that has improved since 2024 though. Except Hall and Miley but age likely plays a bigger factor than coaching for the duo. All the others have either stagnated or even receded (tbf for some cases like Trippier and Wilson, age is the more likely factor than coaching).

 

Agree that Eddie tends to do well when he could spend a lot of time to focus on a single game (e.g. against Liverpool in the cup final). But a game every 3-4 days is the norm if our aspiration is European football every season. So he has to find ways to work well under tight time constraints. I actually felt quite concerned about this last season despite the cup victory. Since we won the first leg against Arsenal and knew that another cup final is a real possibility, we just seemed uninterested in any other competitions for 2 months (which included 4 loses in 8 PL games, heavy defeats to Bournemouth and Man City, narrowly escaping the embarrassment of another FA Cup exit against a League One side in Birmingham, and out of the FA Cup anyway when we met the first half decent opponent at home against Brighton). I don't really like the mentality of 'hey we could do very well in one competition, so losing in other competitions is okay for the next 2 months' especially when we didn't even have European football last season.

[Weezertron]

1 hour ago, AJ9 said:

As I’ve said before, I’ll back Howe until he either leaves or is sacked. It’s pretty obvious that this season isn’t going to plan but it is in no way a sackable season. The only massive fuck up has been the mackems game, really. Beyond that, we’ve been poor with a lot of extenuating circumstances. I look at our squad and see so many players that would be nowhere near other teams competing at the level we are because of the influence of Howe. We’ve squeezed everything out of players like Joelinton, Murphy, Schar, Burn, Pope, Willock that are still here, and the likes of Wilson, Longstaff, Targett who aren’t. He’s not done well at all this season, and the recruitment has been so poor overall in the past few years, but we need strategic direction and a plan to move the club forward, not a change of manager. 

Woah woah. Lets not be acting like Schar hasn't always been world class. 

[buzza]

I like Howe a lot, my main negative with him is that he is loathe to change players until after 70mins even when It is obvious that the system or certain players are just not functioning.

I also think that It is difficult for him to change style with the set of players we have, and unfortunately the high energy Creative players of the highest level are well out of our reach.

With more high level subs on the bench and more willing from Eddie to bring them in earlier, could possible allows US to keep the high octane football style over the breadth of a season. Still a few Windows away from that...

[TRon]

4 hours ago, Cf said:

 

I really don't think there's a giant mystery here. 

 

This is much easier to do when you have the squad depth/quality of Arsenal, City, etc. 

 

We don't which is why we've seen this slightly more conservative energy conservation approach. It hasn't quite worked thus far but it's probably the best option available to us. 

 

 

I've got no problem with us playing a more conserved energy approach, but I'm not sure that's what Howe is trying to do. Our squad is pretty decent numbers wise this season, we have been able to rotate much more than the last time we were in Europe. 

 

I think the main reason we struggle with slowing the game down, is our players struggle to keep possession. Do that, and by design you have to do less chasing. 

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Howe won the club it's first trophy in my father's lifetime, never mind my own, and was the architect of the team and culture that has been built at Newcastle since the change in ownership. Based on this, he has earned the credit to finish the season and the benefit of a real transfer window rather than the foolishness we engaged in last summer.

 

However, to be frank, it is hard to currently see what he is providing that NUFC could not get from other managers. This season has been massively disappointing by all measures and the team seems out of ideas at times. I do wonder if he has it in him to progress this team any further. No rush to sack him, imo, but maybe this has just run its course. Four years is a good run in modern football. We should see how the beginning of next season looks regardless.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2025 by Segun Oluwaniyi

[The College Dropout]

9 hours ago, SteV said:

Fair point. Which is why Man Utd had a (slightly) better xG than us on Friday, despite us being the significantly dominant team.

We also didn’t create anything and barely forced a save. 
 

The stats tell the truth of the game. We had a lot more of the ball and pressure through getting corners. But managed less shots on target than them.  
 

Thats  congruent with our entire season. Not strong enough or good enough at both ends of the pitch. 

[Mountain]

2 hours ago, TRon said:

 

 

I've got no problem with us playing a more conserved energy approach, but I'm not sure that's what Howe is trying to do. Our squad is pretty decent numbers wise this season, we have been able to rotate much more than the last time we were in Europe. 

 

I think the main reason we struggle with slowing the game down, is our players struggle to keep possession. Do that, and by design you have to do less chasing. 

 

It's literally just this.

 

We can't keep the ball and manage games.

[Dr Venkman]

On 27/12/2025 at 13:02, Whitley mag said:

he should have made sure we signed technical players instead of Elanga and Ramsey.

What is wrong with you people?

[SUPERTOON]

7 hours ago, AJ9 said:

As I’ve said before, I’ll back Howe until he either leaves or is sacked. It’s pretty obvious that this season isn’t going to plan but it is in no way a sackable season. The only massive fuck up has been the mackems game, really. Beyond that, we’ve been poor with a lot of extenuating circumstances. I look at our squad and see so many players that would be nowhere near other teams competing at the level we are because of the influence of Howe. We’ve squeezed everything out of players like Joelinton, Murphy, Schar, Burn, Pope, Willock that are still here, and the likes of Wilson, Longstaff, Targett who aren’t. He’s not done well at all this season, and the recruitment has been so poor overall in the past few years, but we need strategic direction and a plan to move the club forward, not a change of manager. 

Think he is definitely a big reason some of the players you list are still here mind. We absolutely have to learn to sell better and at better times. 

[jack j]

Probably not the best place to go when your pissed is this forum 

 

But anyway I have seen some fucking shite following newcastle in the last 20 years of having a Season ticket

 

So i just want to say

 

EDDIE HOWES BLACK AND WHITE ARMY

 

 

[Heron]

9 minutes ago, jack j said:

Probably not the best place to go when your pissed is this forum 

 

But anyway I have seen some fucking shite following newcastle in the last 20 years of having a Season ticket

 

So i just want to say

 

EDDIE HOWES BLACK AND WHITE ARMY

 

 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

16 minutes ago, jack j said:

Probably not the best place to go when your pissed is this forum 

 

But anyway I have seen some fucking shite following newcastle in the last 20 years of having a Season ticket

 

So i just want to say

 

EDDIE HOWES BLACK AND WHITE ARMY

 

 

[barton]

6 hours ago, buzza said:

I like Howe a lot, my main negative with him is that he is loathe to change players until after 70mins even when It is obvious that the system or certain players are just not functioning.

I also think that It is difficult for him to change style with the set of players we have, and unfortunately the high energy Creative players of the highest level are well out of our reach.

With more high level subs on the bench and more willing from Eddie to bring them in earlier, could possible allows US to keep the high octane football style over the breadth of a season. Still a few Windows away from that...

 

That’s been my only issue lately with Eddie, the late subs. You don’t have to wait until 70 minutes and change 3 up front, bringing Wissa on earlier might have been the difference to get onto a delivery from Murphy or a Bruno through pass at old trafford, and if not - then bring the other subs on later. We were on top of them for most that second half. 

 

I feel he’s been dealt a tough hand with the way Isak saga played out and one of the two Isak replacements has still not been fit to start a prem game. Plus a few others are completely underperforming. I think he will get it right, just one of those seasons, so far. 

 

 

[Gola]

Back the best man -  not just manager - we've had since Bobby.