Newcastle United sit 12th in the Premier League table with seven matches left to play.
A bruising campaign so far was compounded by back-to-back defeats to Barcelona and Sunderland before the international break.
The Magpies suffered a 7-2 defeat away to Barcelona in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tie to lose 8-3 on aggregate, while the 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby loss at St James’ Park followed four days later.
Howe’s side were booed on their post-match lap of honour, and the manager in particular has come under intense criticism, leading to questions over his long-term future.
Eddie Howe issues rallying call to Newcastle United supporters
But for the remaining seven matches of the season, where Newcastle hope to secure European qualification of some form, Howe has urged fans to get behind his players.
Howe told The Gazette: “I'd always say to any supporter that genuinely supports the team, just back the players when they're playing. Throw your full weight and support behind them because it's obviously a very tough sport. We're at the elite level and I think the players need to feel that love and support to be at their best.
“I think the supporters have been magnificent in that respect for us all season. I think they've seen the challenges that we've faced. I think the majority have understood just the last run of games we had, the level of opposition, the frequency of games, it was tough for the players at the end of that spell.
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“Yes, we've made mistakes. Yes, we haven't been at our best consistently, and we accept that. But I think in the main, the supporters have been really, really good with us.
“But of course, that's not unconditional. We know that they're not going to blindly support us if we're not performing consistently, so now there's a big responsibility in the next seven games to up our level.”
Newcastle United and the race for European qualification
Newcastle currently sit 12th in the Premier League. While Champions League qualification is regarded as a long shot, with the gap seven points to fifth-place Liverpool, the Europa League or Conference League remains within reach.
The Magpies are four points below seventh-place Brentford, which is currently a Conference League spot, but should Manchester City or Chelsea win the FA Cup and finish inside the top seven, seventh would be upgraded to a Europa League spot and eighth would become a Conference League spot.
Howe said: “We shouldn't need extra motivation. The games are big enough in the Premier League as they are. Pride's at stake. We want to do our supporters proud in these last seven games. We want to go right to the end of the season, as I said.
“If there is a carrot for us, it's European places potentially going down and the gap's small between us and the teams ahead of u, so that's a big thing for us to try and chase down.”
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