Simon Jordan (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howeplaceholder image
Simon Jordan (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe | talkSPORT, Getty Images
Eddie Howe is facing arguably his toughest test as Newcastle United manager following consecutive Premier League defeats.
Simon Jordan has backed Eddie Howe to steer Newcastle United through their mini crisis in the Premier League.
Three wins, three draws and five defeats leaves the Magpies sitting two points above the relegation zone after 11 games. Newcastle are going well in the Champions League and Carabao Cup but have not won a top-flight away game since April.
A dismal 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Sunday sent further alarm bells ringing around Tyneside. Howe admitted to NewcastleWorld post-match that the current performances are “not good enough” while taking full responsibility.
Simon Jordan unpacks Newcastle United problems
Speaking to talkSPORT, former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan insisted Newcastle are not in a “crisis” moment. He said: “When you talked about the fact they've only won four away games this year… how many have they played, 10? Premier League-wise, yes, they've had two bad results in a row.
“At the beginning of the season, they had three near-nil draws against Villa, against Bournemouth, and against Leeds. I hear that (the criticism), but let's not turn it into a crisis because they've just won the EFL game against Spurs, they're in the quarter-finals of the EFL League Cup, the one they're defending (and) they're going reasonably well in the Champions League.
“They've got to get themselves together in the Premier League and I'm pretty sure that they will. They've got a new centre-forward in, (Alexander) Isak’s gone, so they're setting up a different way now. The two wingers have got to start contributing a little bit more. Lo and behold, Harvey Barnes comes into the team and scores a great goal on the weekend.”
‘PSR is unfair’ - Simon Jordan
Jordan also highlighted PSR restrictions as a frustrating reality for Newcastle, while caveating that by naming Anthony Elanga and Nick Woltemade as big-money signings. He added: “He isn't individualising the criticism. He's talking about the nature of the way that the team performs. So, I think he'll see his way through this.
“They paid £55million for Elanga (who is) sitting on the bench. They paid £70million for this centre-forward. I know some of that has come from the idea of telling Isak. But we all know that Newcastle cannot spend the way that their predecessors in Man City and Chelsea, the previous guys that had the real money come into the game, could. It's unfair.”
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Simon Jordan on Newcastle United’s ‘main’ issue
On Newcastle’s main issue - the away form - Jordan said: “The main issue is why are they setting up differently away from home and causing themselves problems? I would suspect that the crowd at St James' Park play a massive part in demanding Newcastle set up differently and play in a certain way.
“Eddie's got to square the circle in his mind and the players' minds. That way results have to be achieved. Flip it on its head. If you're playing in front of an expectant crowd that are demanding you to be a certain way, is there as much pressure in that space as there is being away from home with a different set of pressures?
“Clearly the issue is not about the capability of this team to perform. It's about their capability to perform away from home. They seem unable to turn up at away games. Why is that? And that's the question that Eddie Howe will unlock.”
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