Newcastle United's English head coach Eddie Howe gives a press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Lluis GENE / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Newcastle United's English head coach Eddie Howe gives a press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Lluis GENE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Every word Eddie Howe said on Sunderland ahead of Newcastle United’s Tyne-Wear derby clash.
Eddie Howe wants Newcastle United to use their last defeat against Sunderland as fuel in this Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby.
In the first Premier League derby in nine years, the Black Cats got the better of Newcastle in December thanks to Nick Woltemade’s own goal just moments after half-time.
Sunderland are unbeaten in 10 league games against the Magpies, but Howe hopes to bring an end to their dismal record in the first St James’ Park derby in 10 years.
Here’s everything Howe had to say about the Sunderland game in his pre-match press conferece:
How do you ensure that what happened in the second half against Barcelona doesn't affect you negatively going into Sunday?
“Yeah, we've got a bit of work to do psychologically with the players off the back of what was a really strange game to digest and review.
“I think the players will hopefully have learnt from a lot of similar games this season in the respect that we've had an incredible group of games where we've had to leave one game very quickly and focus on the next.
“That's sort of a skill I think to be able to do that, to park it and move on to the next one. We're going to have to do that really quickly for this one and effectively because the game will be on us before we know it.
“It's a 12pm kick-off, very quick turnaround, so a bit of work to do today and tomorrow with the players but I think by kick-off we'll be fine.”
Sunderland are 10 games unbeaten in the Premier League against Newcastle. Is that something that you'll use as motivation ahead of Sunday?
“The focus for us is to try and win the game. Looking back at past records and results, I'm all for one for doing that if I feel it can help us and there may well be some use in that. But I think every game is so different and every game is unique and the next one is the most important.
“I think for us we've got to try and recover physically, recover mentally as we've already discussed. The players will be in no doubt the size of the game and I think reinforced by what happened earlier on this season against them.
“I think that for any new player who maybe wasn't fully aware of how big the game is will now certainly be aware and sometimes only experience can give you that. The players will be ready for this game and we know we need to be.”
A bit of anger and a bit of frustration. If used correctly, can that sometimes be a bit of a good emotion to go into a derby with?
“I think a mixture. I think you need a little bit of everything. The anger, yes. The emotion, yes. The passion, yes, of course. And then you need to control it and you need to be measured at times as well because too much of one can be a negative.
“I think this game will be possibly a great game off the back of what happened on Wednesday for us because there's no time to dwell or think too much of the past. It's all about the future and making sure that we train really well today and tomorrow and we go into the game in a good frame of mind because we can't carry any baggage in this game.
“This is going to be hard enough and big enough for us just to focus on this.”
The Sunderland manager said some very complimentary things about you. Any view on him and his season so far?
“When you look at the season as a whole, I think Sunderland have had a very, very good season because it's very tough. I know from personal experience, the jump from the Championship to the Premier League is big.
“To be competitive, to get consistent results is very tough to do as a newly-promoted team. I think they've handled that really, really well.
“Of course, they beat us early season. We know how tough that game was against them, so I think we need to use all of that. We need to use the experience of that first game, all the emotion that we felt afterwards, which was really, really painful.
“We need to use that too. And we're going to need a big effort.”
A derby at St James' Park is unlike any other for atmosphere. Will you have time to kind of soak that up a little bit?
“Yeah, I don't really get a chance to absorb the atmosphere. I'm aware of it, of course, but my thoughts are very much trying to help the team and the players and being aware of tactically what you need to do to try and help your team.
“I'm sort of not sat there enjoying it, unless we're playing really well and the game's over. And that hasn't been many times this season where we've been able to enjoy the last few minutes of the game.
“All focused on trying to deliver a really good performance.”
Why you think this particular game on Sunday will be the biggest league game for Newcastle this season?
“Well, I think it's for our supporters, for the whole city here. We know as soon as the fixtures came out that this was one that was really looked at and in the mind of everybody, so we have to play for all of our people in this game. And that's how I see it.
“We're focused on doing that. We're focused on trying to deliver a great performance, showing the passion that I mentioned earlier, with control, with quality. I think they're going to be key ingredients.”
Do you think with some of the players, you have to drum in the fact that the enormity of losing a derby at home is massive?
“I think they did know the enormity of the game, but for whatever reason, we didn't perform to our normal level. And no excuses on that. We have to take accountability for that.
“I'm not sure drumming them in, that message into them, is actually a positive or the right thing to do, because that's just a very negative message.
“I'd much prefer to go with a positive message because we need to inspire the players, not put fear into them. It's a very delicate balance with teams and professional athletes.”
Everything you thought the derby was on December 13, what do you think of it now, given that experience?
“How did it change my view of the fixture? I don't think it necessarily did. I think the fallout of it was long and painful, and it certainly didn't help us. So I think there's sort of an extra weight with the fixture, in a sense, that you know if you don't perform, there will be a large and painful sort of baggage that goes with you, and we don't want that. Of course we don't, because that affects future performances.
“It affects the emotion and feeling of the whole city, so we want all the positive emotions of that, that can carry us on a new run and a new wave of optimism. I think then you know you're going into the game on a knife-edge, and in some respects that can bring out the best in your players.
“I think that's, again,it's all the positive emotions, it's all the positive feelings, because it could be a turning point in our season, very much for the better.”
You said after the defeat at the Stadium of Light in December that the result would not define your season, is there an understanding that another defeat on Sunday would absolutely define your season?
“Again, I don't know how to answer that, people will define seasons in different ways. I'm not contemplating defeat, I don't know how I can sit here and do that. I'm contemplating trying to win the game and trying to get real momentum into our Premier League season.”
You mentioned the fallout from the last game against Sunderland. Were you surprised by the reaction to the result and the performance that day?
“No, I don't think I was overly surprised because of the way we performed. I knew immediately that the way we performed in the game wasn't good. It wasn't a great spectacle of us, we didn't attack with anywhere near our normal rhythm.
“It was, I think, a moment in the season without totally remembering where we were, the games around that game, where we were struggling a little bit for our attacking game.
“The fallout was quite long and painful, but as I said, we tried to use that. And every experience to try and help us.
“Obviously, we don't want that feeling again. We need to make sure that our preparation for this game is as good as it can be to help the players.”
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