The Magpies find themselves in 12th position in the Premier League table, ten points adrift of the top five, after Dango Outtara’s 86th-minute winner condemned them to a fourth home league defeat of the campaign.
This has been a tough week for Newcastle, with last weekend’s 4-1 defeat at Anfield plunging them into the bottom half of the table and Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Manchester City seeing them relinquish their hold on the Carabao Cup.
Their latest setback means they have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions, and Howe insists the buck stops at his door.
“There’s a harsh reality for me,” said the Newcastle boss. “I’ve got to think long and hard, not about my effort because I can’t question that about myself, but I think I’ve got to work better, I’ve got to do more.
“I’ve got to take full responsibility for everything you see on the pitch, and I’ve got to work out solutions. I think that’s for me to do.
“Then, of course, I have to ask the same from the players. I have to ask them to be really honest with themselves and look at their best level, and judge how they’re playing against that now, in this current moment. I don’t think there’s too many that can say they’re playing towards their best.”
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Newcastle’s players were booed off at both half-time and full-time, with the discontent within St James’ Park abundantly clear at the final whistle.
One supporter sprinted down the steps in the Milburn Stand to hurl abuse at Howe, and while it would be unfair to suggest there is a majority feeling against the current boss, his position is becoming increasingly precarious in the wake of mounting unhappiness.
“It’s [the booing] obviously not we want,” said Howe. “It is hard [to hear the booing], but I don’t blame the supporters for expressing their feelings. I think we’ve created that ourselves to a point with a run of games where we haven’t played as well as we can and where we’ve defended poorly and got punished. There’s no other thing to do than accept responsibility for it.
“It’s a difficult moment for us, I don’t think there’s any denying that. Today, especially. You can look back at the last run of games we’ve had and point to positives in the performance in defeat and say, ‘Well, we created a lot of chances there – on a different day, that could have been very different’.
“Today, we have to take full accountability. We’re 1-0 up at home in a game where, for me, we should then accelerate through the gears, show our true form and build some confidence.
“We didn’t. We went the other way. Yes, there’s mitigating circumstances. Yes, we’re missing a lot of key players. Yes, some of our players are having to play while fatigued. But we’ve got to do better, there’s no other way to put it from my viewpoint.”