Amanda Staveley consoled Eddie Howe after Newcastle United lost the 2023 Carabao Cup final.
She watched on at Wembley alongside Toon chairman and PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan, as Newcastle United lost 2-0 to Manchester United.
It was a crushing defeat for the Magpies, but there was also a sense of pride. Just getting to the final was special, as the Toon Army took over London.
But they returned to the North East emptyhanded, as Newcastle’s trophy drought went on.
That will hopefully not be the case this weekend, with Newcastle facing Liverpool in the 2025 Carabao Cup final.
Amanda Staveley will watch Newcastle at Wembley again, but this time just as a spectator. She is no longer one of the club’s co-owners, but has confirmed that she will be at the game on Sunday.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Amanda Staveley wants to speak to Eddie Howe before the Carabao Cup final
Not only that, but Amanda Staveley is also hoping to speak to Eddie Howe ahead of Sunday’s match against Liverpool.
That is what the 51-year-old told BBC Newcastle when she was asked if she had passed on any good luck messages to her former colleagues at St James’ Park.
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“Many good luck messages,” she said.
“I’m really hopeful. But I will hopefully be speaking to Eddie soon to wish him the best of luck and the team.
“To be able to qualify twice. To be able to do that again so quickly is just extraordinary and I’m so proud of the whole team.”
Why Staveley brought Eddie Howe to Newcastle United
During their time together at St James’ Park, Howe and Staveley had a special relationship.
While she was part of the hierarchy, she did whatever she could to help the Newcastle United manager and give him the right environment to be successful.
Following the takeover in 2021, it was vital that the new owners appointed the right manager to take Steve Bruce’s place.
After initially missing out on Unai Emery, Staveley and co opted for Howe, who was out of work at the time after leaving Bournemouth in 2020.
Despite being without a club for more than a year, Staveley was very impressed with Howe’s plan to take Newcastle United forward.
“We have been incredibly impressed by Eddie through what has been a rigorous recruitment process,” Staveley told the club’s official website in November 2021.
“As well as his obvious achievements with AFC Bournemouth, where he had a transformational impact, he is a passionate and dynamic coach who has clear ideas about taking this team and club forward.
“He is a great fit for what we are trying to build here. We are delighted to welcome Eddie and his staff to St. James’ Park and very much look forward to working together towards our collective ambitions.”
Ever since Howe’s arrival, Staveley and co have been proven right. They thought Howe was the right fit for their project, and he continues to be exactly that – even though Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi are no longer part of the club.
But they will be part of it on Sunday, cheering on Newcastle United at Wembley alongside the rest of the Toon Army.