There’s no getting away from the fact that Eddie Howe has been dealt a horrible hand over the summer.
In terms of squad strengthening and the summer’s (lack of) transfer strategy (no matter who was responsible), the squad has been left woefully short on quality in the key positions that we KNEW needed strengthening; particularly at centre back and right-wing.
Injuries to key players haven’t helped either, with Botman a huge miss, although that’s not the viable excuse it was this time 12 months ago, especially when we don’t have European distractions to contend with this time.
There’s also no getting away from the fact that with every poor performance Eddie Howe appears to be finding less and less answers compared to his first two seasons on Barrack Road.
The manager had a knack for finding a key result, and 2022/23 aside where everything went right, bar the cup final, he has turned around most difficult situations and gone on a run of excellent results. Barring a monumental Man City \*\*\*\*\*\*\* drop in the FA Cup final we’d have qualified for Europe two seasons in a row.
I want Eddie Howe to do well at Newcastle, I make no bones about that, I want him to be the one to lift a trophy for United and etch his name into our history because I think he deserves it for what he has done for the club. We were never at a lower point (in my supporter lifetime anyway) than when he arrived. But it is starting to become a head and heart overruling the other situation regarding his future.
He is helped by the lack of a truly credible alternative and those calling for Mourinho are either living in the past or blinded by the affection we all share for Bobby Robson and the relationship the great man shared with the Portuguese.
And those calling for Edin Terzic should be reminded that whilst his Dortmund team played good football and won a DFB Pokel while he was interim manager, they bottled the league on the final day in 2022/23 and lost the 2023/24 Champions League final despite being the better team – so he isn’t quite the proven winner some are making him out to be.
Of course, the lack of an elite replacement, shouldn’t mean Howe can’t be replaced but you just have to look at the arrival of Ruben Amorim at Man Utd to see how a supposed ‘elite coach’ can struggle being an early/midseason replacement.
Ultimately, all Howe can do is focus on Leicester City on Saturday in what is a massive game. Even if we were we to lose that game I think Howe would be safe in his job, but then the pressure on the Brentford League Cup game would almost unbearable – if he were to lose that, then I think all bets would be off. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.