David Ornstein has shared a significant update on Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and his future at St. James' Park.
Newcastle suffer Palace defeat as Howe pressure grows
That 90th minute at Selhurst Park last weekend told the story of Newcastle's season.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe before the start of the match
Sven Botman brought down Jefferson Lerma inside the area when the game was already level, Jean-Philippe Mateta converted the penalty in stoppage time, and what had looked like a controlled afternoon for Howe's side ended in a third consecutive defeat.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle, and the pressure on the man in the dugout intensified once more.
William Osula had given Newcastle the lead before half-time, scrambling the ball over the line from close range after Tino Livramento's cross caused confusion in the Palace box.
For 40 minutes of the second half, Newcastle looked capable of seeing it out.
Then Mateta came off the bench. The Frenchman, who had scored his first goal since New Year's Day in Palace's Conference League win over Fiorentina on Thursday, headed in the equaliser on 80 minutes from Tyrick Mitchell's cross.
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The collapse that followed was familiar.
Botman's penalty concession completed the turnaround. Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, two of Newcastle's most expensive summer acquisitions, were introduced only in the final minute, long after the damage had been done.
Newcastle have now dropped 25 points from winning positions in the league this season, five more than any other side in the division (Sky Sports).
They sit 14th, level with Palace but below them on goal difference, and five points off seventh-placed Brentford.
sven-botman-newcastle-palace
European football, a genuine ambition at the start of the campaign, is now an increasingly remote prospect with six games remaining.
The question of Howe's future has been circling since the derby defeat to Sunderland three weeks ago and a 7-2 Champions League aggregate loss to Barcelona.
CEO David Hopkinson's refusal to offer a clear public vote of confidence only added to the speculation.
David Ornstein shares Eddie Howe update out of Newcastle
Now, Ornstein has reported that Newcastle's owners still continue to back Howe, with all parties planning to assess the managerial situation at the end of the season.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
The Athletic journalist's update frames any review or contingency work as standard practice rather than anything more pressing, with no serious conversations having taken place over a potential change of head coach.
That framing will offer Howe some reassurance, though the scrutiny is unlikely to ease.
He signed a multi-year contract extension in the summer of 2024, a year after delivering the club's first major domestic trophy since the 1950s.
The context of a difficult summer — Isak sold to Liverpool on deadline day, recruitment hampered by PSR constraints, no sporting director or CEO fully in post — has provided some mitigation for a season that has fallen well short of expectations.
Whether that context remains sufficient come May will depend largely on what Howe's side produce in the final six fixtures, starting with Bournemouth at St James' Park next Saturday.
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