Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe could cement his legacy at the club on Sunday.
Indeed, Howe is leading Newcastle United back into the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, with his side set to meet Liverpool in the showpiece.
The club are on the brink of a first domestic trophy in 70 years. While no doubt underdogs for the game, optimism is high.
Having tasted defeat against Manchester United two years ago, this time feels different. Now used to big game occasions, they surely cannot play as badly as they did that day.
Howe could make himself a legend on Tyneside. The Newcastle United manager has already proven to be a major success but to lift a trophy would elevate him to an entirely different level.
Not since Joe Harvey has a Newcastle manager won something, the 1969 Fairs Cup. You’d have to go back to Doug Livingstone in 1955 for the last coach to lift major domestic silverware with the club.
Howe could join them, making history and potentially paving the way for other English managers to start collecting silverware again.
Interestingly, Howe was asked his ‘Mount Rushmore’ of managers ahead of the Carabao Cup clash.
Split image of the Carabao Cup trophy (left) and Eddie Howe looking on during an Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match (right).
Split image of the Carabao Cup trophy (left) and Eddie Howe looking on during an Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match (right). Credit: Getty Images/Alex Dodd – CameraSport/Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar
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Eddie Howe names his Mount Rushmore of managers and includes one Newcastle United legend
During an interview with Sky Sports, Howe named the managers he would consider the greatest of all time.
Club legend Sir Bobby Robson was among them, with Howe keen to stress he wasn’t simply saying that because of Robson’s history with Newcastle.
“Not for just the links to this club but for the jobs that he did and various clubs that he managed,” he said.
“I mean, Ipswich, Newcastle, England, Barcelona – he did it home and abroad which I also have a lot respect for.
“And the manner with which he managed as well, so has to be that.”
Pep Guardiola also unsurprisingly featured, alongside Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
When asked specifically on who he’d consider to be the greatest manager of all time, Howe said: “If I had to stick my colours to the mast, I think it’d be very close between Pep and Sir Alex.
“I’ll go for Sir Alex just because of his longevity at one club, which I think is very, very difficult to do.”
When was the last time an English manager won a trophy?
Much has been made about the fact the Football Association overlooked Howe when appointing Thomas Tuchel as Gareth Southgate’s successor last year.
Clearly, however, that is good news for Newcastle.
Howe is opening to managing England one day but obviously still believes the club game is the best place for him at this stage of his career.
Winning on Sunday would also create new history. The last English manager to win silverware was Harry Redknapp’s FA Cup victory at Portsmouth in 2008, while the last time a coach from England won a league title was Howard Wilkinson at Leeds in 1992.