The hierarchy at St James’ Park might bridle at the ‘richest club in the world’ tag that was hung around Newcastle’s neck when the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund completed their takeover of the club just over three years ago, but it is nevertheless undeniable that expectations were transformed when Mike Ashley was finally forced through the exit door.
When the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak agreed to join Newcastle, they felt they were signing for a club that was going places. Champions League regulars. Challengers for silverware. New stadium, new training ground and a conveyor belt of high-profile new signings.
Instead, when they line up against Leicester City this afternoon, the trio will find themselves playing for a team sitting in 12th position in the table. European football already feels like a distant memory. There hasn’t been a new signing that has really impacted the first team for the best part of two seasons.
A new state-of-the-art stadium? Discussions are underway, but whatever is eventually decided, it’s unlikely to be completed for a decade or so. A gleaming new training ground? The paddling pool might have gone, but Newcastle’s players continue to spend their working week at a Darsley Park base that looks tired and threadbare when posited against the new training complexes that have been built by some of their Premier League rivals in the last few years.
Earlier this month, Howe conceded that Newcastle’s first team was in danger of going stale. In fact, his comment could really be applied to the club as a whole. To paraphrase Kevin Keegan’s famous quote, this wasn’t what was promised in the brochure. So perhaps it should be no surprise that some of the club’s biggest stars seem to lack motivation and spark as their futures are increasingly called into question.
“Players are very astute human beings,” said Howe. “I always say players feel everything at a football club. They are the most perceptive people because they are on the frontline. They are the ones delivering for us.
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“So, whatever is going on at a football club, they’re the ones absorbing it. Naturally, PSR has had an effect on the club, and we haven’t been able to strive and reach as quickly as we wanted to, initially. That has been halted somewhat in various ways.
“Of course, they have felt that and been aware of that. The challenge for me is for that not to affect performances and mood and belonging to the club. That is easier maybe in some cases than others, depending on the player’s situation. But I will say, fundamentally, when you look at the squad, they are all committed to the club, and all want to do well. There is no other thought in the players’ minds, and they know the responsibility on their shoulders. Together, hopefully, we can turn the corner.”
It is not just the players that are currently at St James’ Park who could be affected by a creeping sense of negativity, of course. While PSR restrictions are the major barrier to Newcastle making the kind of signings that could have an immediately transformative effect on the first team, potential signings offered an opportunity to move to Tyneside could be less willing to join the Magpies if they feel the club have stagnated.
“Yeah, being honest, that would be a challenge for us, depending on the player's situation, his career objectives and his age etc,” admitted Howe. “There is a lot that goes into it.
“Of course, if we feel we are able to develop quicker that will suit the players. But it is not just what the players need and want, it is what we need and want. It is what the club who hold his registration and contract need and want most importantly.
“I have had no player knock on my door saying they want to leave. I think we have a good group of players who want success and who are together.”
Nevertheless, the pressure that has been building in the last month or so will ratchet up even higher if Newcastle fail to achieve a positive result against Leicester this afternoon. And, as Howe, acknowledges, if that happens, much of the spotlight will be trained in his direction.
“I don’t know if it’s the right word, but I’m not needy,” said the Magpies boss. “I don’t seek assurances or look above me and engage in conversations to see how the land lies.
“That’s not me. My work is always with the players and how to affect them positively. My future will be dictated by results on the pitch, not seeking anything.”