Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, lifts the Carabao Cup Trophy after his team's victory during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, lifts the Carabao Cup Trophy after his team's victory during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Eddie Howe was asked to reflect on his four-year anniversary at St James’ Park and predict the next step for Newcastle United.
Time flies when you’re having fun - and Newcastle United supporters have enjoyed a whale of a time since November 2021. Yesterday marked four years to the day since the Saudi-backed ownership took a punt on Eddie Howe.
At the time, his reputation was mudded. Someone who had been viewed as the future of English management was viewed as tactically naive following Bournemouth’s relegation.
Was this attack-minded southerner really going to step outside his comfort zone, relocate to the North East and become Newcastle’s saviour? You god damn bet he was.
Howe weathered an early storm - just one win in 10 games to be precise - before steering the Magpies to their best era in living memory. Only those old enough to remember the trio of FA Cup wins in the 1950s have ever had it as good.
A four-year blitz to the big boys has resulted in multiple Champions League qualifications and Carabao Cup success. Howe has squeezed every drop of talent from Newcastle’s squad while under the vice of PSR restrictions.
But what comes next? Will the Toon boss be in situ on November 8, 2029 to mark his eight-year anniversary?
“It is a tough one to predict,” Howe told reporters on Sunday. “The first four years are better than I could have imagined them to be. As I said so many times, staying in the league was (our) No.1 (priority).
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“And at times during the early days of my tenure I did not know whether that would happen. It was a really tough start, we were trying to glue the squad together, build momentum, build confidence and change the style of play gradually.
“But thankfully, with phase one achieved, we were able to move on to the next phases. We never looked back from that period really. In terms of the next (step), in management you never know whether you're going to be here for four days.
“You can never predict what is ahead. All I can predict, and I said this in one of my first interviews, I will give everything I have to be successful. That has not changed. I’m working as hard as I ever have to take the club forward.”
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