Some interesting comments from this BBC Sport pundit on Newcastle United.
Chris Sutton speaking ahead of Tuesday’s match.
Newcastle United facing Spurs in North London.
Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United team hoping to bounce back to winning form, after losing three games in a row for the first time in over 26 months.
United also knowing that a win could take them back into the top half of the Premier League table.
Chris Sutton launching a robust defence of United’s manager; “Poor old Eddie Howe is feeling the heat at Newcastle…We had callers in to 606 at the weekend saying it is time for a change. I really don’t get that thinking at all, and not just because Howe’s the guy who ended their long wait for a trophy, less than a year ago. His squad is stretched now because of the Champions League and their run to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and he also had everything around Alexander Isak’s exit to deal with at the start of the season, when it wasn’t his doing.”
I totally agree with Sutton here, on the fact the Newcastle United Head Coach having had an incredibly difficult set of circumstances to deal with.
The BBC Sport pundit then adding: “Eddie Howe just hasn’t been able to replace Isak, either. Yoane Wissa has taken a while to get up and running and Nick Woltemade is very different to Isak in that he likes to come to the ball all the time. People are saying a change of voice might help, but what about backing the guy who has given you so much happiness? I don’t understand why you’d want him out.”
The thing is, gauging what the fanbase of any club is collectively thinking, isn’t necessarily best measured by the kind of people who would be ringing in on the 606 phone in.
The Mag poll results on Monday, showed that of thousands of Newcastle United fans voting, only 14% thought it would be a good idea to get rid of Eddie Howe during this season.
The silent majority of Newcastle United fans still overwhelmingly backing Eddie Howe, wanting to see him turn things around. This based on what we have seen him achieve against the odds across more than four years in charge at NUFC.
Of course, no manager gets a total free pass, like all others, Eddie Howe has to win football matches.
Speaking of which, Eddie Howe faces a manager tonight, who since the opening day of the season has seen his Spurs side win only one home match against a Premier League side in any of the three domestic competitions.
Chris Sutton predicts a 1-1 draw tonight but sees Thomas Frank under extreme pressure, especially due home results.
The BBC Sport pundit also less than impressed with the idiotic Spurs captain for letting his manager down, making things even more difficult on top of 10 players set to miss through injury: “Tottenham captain Cristian Romero let his manager down with his red card against Manchester United, and now he is facing a four-game ban. It’s fine for Romero to be a motor mouth on social media, calling the club’s recruitment “disgraceful”, but he clearly needs to concentrate on his own game because he has been wild in the challenge again. For a manager like Thomas Frank, who is under pressure, that is the last thing you need.”
Happily for Newcastle United fans, our essential talismanic captain is now back from injury and will hopefully lead United to a much needed victory tonight, which would at the same time make life even more uncomfortable for Thomas Frank.
A huge match tonight for both managers.