Newcastle are without a win in five in all competitions and suffered a home loss to Brentford on Sunday
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Newcastle manager Eddie Howeopen image in gallery
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe (Action Images via Reuters)
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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has insisted he would step aside and let somebody else manage the team if he did not feel he was the right man for the job.
The wounded Magpies head for Tottenham on Tuesday evening sitting in 12th place in the Premier League table and without a win in five games in all competitions, culminating in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Brentford.
Howe's players were booed from the pitch after Dango Ouattara's late strike secured victory for the Bees and prompted a fresh wave of social media comment suggesting some fans are losing patience in the club's head coach as he approaches four and a half years at the helm.
However, asked if he had any doubts over his continued presence on Tyneside, the 48-year-old said: "No, there's no doubt in my mind, and that's why I'm sat here. If there was, then I wouldn't be because, as I said, the club is the most important thing.
"I'd never put myself before the club. If I didn't think I was the correct man to take the team forward and I could give the players what they need, then I would step aside and let someone else do it."
The Magpies' defence of the Carabao Cup ended in tame fashion at the semi-final stage at Manchester City last week and although they remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage of the Champions League, their hopes of securing European football next season have been placed in severe jeopardy by a poor run of form.
They will run out in North London knowing they must stop the rot if they are to keep pace with the pack above them.
The fact that Howe, who accepted full responsibility for Saturday's disappointment, finds himself under a measure of pressure is a reflection of the progress the club has made since his arrival in the midst of a relegation fight in October 2021, but heavy investment during the intervening period has raised the stakes significantly.
Head coach Eddie Howe took full responsibility for Newcastle’s 3-2 Premier League defeat by Brentford at St James’ Park (Owen Humphreys/PA)open image in gallery
Head coach Eddie Howe took full responsibility for Newcastle’s 3-2 Premier League defeat by Brentford at St James’ Park (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)
He said: "I've got to think that I am the right person for the job and I'm giving value and I'm helping the players and I'm the right person to get results, ultimately.
"As long as I feel that in my heart and in my spirit, then my desire and my motivation levels are as high as they've ever been.
"But I think that's the key question I always have to ask myself: am I the right person to take the team and the club forward?"
In Howe's favour on Tuesday is that fact that Spurs have not won a league game this calendar year and have not beaten the Magpies home or away in five attempts in all competitions, although injuries and fatigue continue to take their toll on his squad.
He will make late checks on forward Anthony Gordon, who has a hamstring problem, and Lewis Miley, who is nursing a knee injury, but fellow midfielder Joelinton is still out with a groin issue.