Eddie Howe has admitted the atmosphere inside St James’ Park makes it virtually impossible for his players to hear him from the touchline at times.
Howe has a strong case to be considered Newcastle United’s greatest ever manager.
The club are set to embark on their second Champions League campaign in their fourth full season under the Newcastle United manager.
That follows Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup victory back in March, which ended their 70-year wait for a major domestic honour.
Indeed, Howe has brought the good times back to St James’ Park. There have been some brilliant nights under his stewardship and surely few would bet against there being more.
Even almost four years into his tenure, it’s clear that the Newcastle United squad remain committed to the cause under Howe. That is quite the achievement, in a world where managers generally don’t last too long at Premier League clubs.
Still, as committed as the squad are, Howe admits they cannot really hear him from the touchline at home.
Eddie Howe points from the touchline during Newcastle United vs Wolves.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Newcastle United players cannot hear Eddie Howe on the touchline
Howe was speaking to Sky Sports in an interview where he was asked a series of questions about being a Premier League manager.
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One of those saw him quizzed on whether his players could actually hear him barking instructions from the touchline.
He admitted that the noise created from supporters at St James’ makes that “virtually impossible”.
When asked if players struggle to hear him, he said: “Definitely, definitely.
“Especially at St James’ Park, you look at the game the other day against Liverpool where I’m trying to communicate with the players on the pitch but it’s virtually impossible due to the atmosphere created by the supporters.
“I think sometimes players will probably choose not to hear what I’m saying as well, depending on what it is. I’ve definitely felt that before. But I think the ability for the manager to communicate with the players on the pitch now is harder than it’s ever been.”
Yasir Al-Rumayyan vindicated as Newcastle strike gold with Eddie Howe
Newcastle didn’t initially move for Howe, with the former Bournemouth boss only coming into contention for the job following Steve Bruce’s sacking in 2021 when Unai Emery rejected their offer.
Former Newcastle director Amanda Staveley has revealed that she was told not to hire Howe, given he had only recently been relegated with Bournemouth at the time.
However, chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was very impressed with Howe straight away and they’ve certainly struck gold with his appointment.
“Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] has a very good sense and loved Eddie straight away,” she said.
“He didn’t really get to speak to Unai. But it was the perfect manager. He’s just extraordinary.”
One trophy down already, it’s going to be fascinating to see how he continues to build on his legacy.