Eddie Howe press conference: The Newcastle United head coach hit back at suggestions regarding his under performing squad.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe hit back at the suggestions that the players aren’t listening to his instructions amid a poor run of form.
The Magpies have lost eight out of their last 11 matches in the Premier League, which has left them sitting 14th in the table and six points off the European places with five games to go.
The run has seen Howe face increased pressure and criticism externally but is understood to retain the full support of the club’s hierarchy.
Amid Newcastle’s poor run, Newcastle vice-captain Kieran Trippier publicly defended Howe and claimed it was up to the players to execute the manager’s plan.
“The manager has given us clear instructions individually on what to do, so I'm not going to stand here and accuse the manager,” Trippier said. “He’s given us clear instructions. It’s us, the players, who need to step up and execute his plan, so I'm not going to blame the manager whatsoever.”
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NUFC lacking confidence
But when the plan is clear and consistent, but consistently not being executed, it raises questions as to whether it is being properly heard by the Newcastle players.
A suggestion Howe was quick to refute.
“No, I don't agree with that,” Howe told The Gazette. “With a view to not being heard by the players, I think it's very difficult to deliver for the players. I think they're under extreme pressure.
“Everyone I think is committed to try and give their best performance and deliver what, whether it's coaches want, manager wants. I just feel we're not playing with confidence and I think that affects everything, that affects decision-making, that affects execution.
“Whereas when you're doing it, and you'll know from, I'm sure, your experiences in life, when you're confident and feeling good, you deliver it without thinking.
“When you're not, you overthink everything and sometimes you can end up trying too hard. So I think the players are listening, we're just not feeling as good as we can going into the game. So that's something that we're trying to help the players with and that can only come from, in my opinion, from the training and repetition and the feeling changes and then through hard work your luck changes.
“So that's been the focus this week to try and help and support the players deliver better.”
What is Newcastle United’s identity?
The lack of execution of Howe’s message from the players has also seen Newcastle suffer from something of an identity crisis this season.
"Of late, of course, that [execution] has not been there,” Howe added. “But then you go, 'Why has it not been there?' And I think there's been a whole host of reasons that I won't, and there's no point me highlighting those because people will view them as excuses, and I don't want to go down that road.
"We have to find ways to get the players to respond better to us currently. I'm 100 per cent confident they will, and they're trying. But we're just in a tough spot at the minute."
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