Eddie Howe rewarded the loyalty to the handful of journalists who made the 2,500 journey to Baku with a small briefing
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe celebrates the 2-1 win at Tottenham
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe celebrates the 2-1 win at Tottenham(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has revealed he suffered 'dark moments' in the direct aftermath of being booed off against Brentford 11 days ago.
Despite a severe behind-the-scenes inquest at Newcastle in the last 10 days, Howe could put his side on the brink of the last 16 of the Champions League and tee up a tie against Barcelona or Chelsea if they see off Qarabag over two legs, starting in Baku.
Howe has come under fire from some sections of fans online via social media, but the majority of the supporters remain behind the man tipped to manage England one day. After that loss to the Bees, players held a crisis meeting at St James' Park without the manager present - but the result of that home truths session was that each player must do more to support Howe with performances on the pitch.
Howe cut an emotional figure in his post-game Press conference after the Brentford defeat and sounded choked. But he has since bounced back with stunning victories away to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
But Howe, speaking to a handful of reporters who have travelled to Baku in a dimly lit corridor in the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, told Chronicle Live: "Even in the really dark moments I’m quite level with my kids and my wife. I try not to let my feelings dominate them, and in a sense, they (family) pick me up to a degree.
"They give me context, they give me some kind of perspective, which is really important in those difficult moments.
"A lot of thinking, a lot of reflection, as I said I was going to do after that game. But it never stops. The reflection’s always there, whether you’re winning or losing - it doesn’t go too far away."
Howe went as far as stating he would resign if he did not feel he was the right man to take Newcastle forward. But after the Magpies' recent revival, he said, "I apologise for not using ‘me’ because it’s not about me. It’s about what the club needs and everything we’re trying to do is for the club."
With Newcastle operating on a restricted budget due to PSR, Howe has felt the strain of the demands at St James' Park with the likes of Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal - plus surprise package Brentford - kicking on.
Newcastle remain well placed in Europe's top competition though, having qualified in two of the last three years, and the manager indicated that nobody should take Champions League football for granted at Newcastle and it is far from a gimme.
Howe said: "That was the point I was trying to make. It’s so difficult to achieve. We’re constantly fighting and battling teams with bigger resources than ourselves, so we’re having to overachieve to get into this competition.
"That doesn’t mean we can’t do it. It takes a lot of effort, and it takes a lot of all the good things that we always speak about: the team spirit, the camaraderie, the focus. And for me they’re the key ingredients to get there."
Howe issued a reminder to any critics that it wasn't too long ago that Newcastle were fighting to avoid dropping into the Championship. He added: "When we took over we were fighting relegation, so this wasn’t even on our radar initially.
"But of course, perspective changes very quickly now, so after our second season, when we finished fourth, the bar was probably set then, and ever since then, we’ve been trying to sort of get to that level."
Last night in Baku, winger Anthony Elanga stated the squad are playing for their manager and are right behind him. Howe responded to that backing from his players and said: "That’s the most important thing. If they are giving me everything, I’ll stand by their side to the bitter end. And that relationship between the players and me is so, so important.
"I’ve seen a group of players that have gone through some really tough times here, some really positive times, and we’ve enjoyed all sorts of emotions together.
"But the main thing is we’re here for them to execute their best football, try and help them get to that best level. It’s been great to see them return to that in the last two games, but we want to see that on a consistent basis."
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