Newcastle United's Premier League position will be viewed as unacceptable by the powers that be at St James' Park
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and head coach Eddie Howe
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Eddie Howe has continued to prepare for Saturday's game with AFC Bournemouth at St James' Park with club insiders insisting it is business as usual at Benton.
An inept performance at Crystal Palace did little to lift spirits after the derby defeat against Sunderland last month as Newcastle's task to get in Europe became even trickier after a 2-1 capitulation. Chronicle Live understands that nothing drastic is planned this week and the remit is still to make a fist of scraping into a European place, as stated by CEO David Hopkinson during the international break.
However, regardless of what happens in the remainder of the season, the club's main backers, PIF, plan an end-of-season performance review around the whole club. Hopkinson underlined the fact that 'those conversations' weren't happening at the moment two weeks ago and that remains the case.
Howe will get the chance to perform in the final half dozen games of the season but those close to him insist he knows the score in terms of public mood. Howe has stated before that he refuses to get 'contaminated' by views in the media or social media. But he could see with his own eyes that he has the task of lifting some disgruntled fans after throwing away a 1-0 lead against Palace and dropping another three points.
The head coach is in dire need of a result against his old club Bournemouth this weekend but there is still confidence behind the scenes that Newcastle can stop the rot.
The more serious conversations will take place in May when a clearer plan of action will be put together, whether Howe stays or goes. Speaking about outside noise Howe said on Sunday night: "A couple of games ago we beat Chelsea away and beat Manchester United and you sit here off the back of a disappointing run and the outside noise is to change everything.
"Sometimes you have got to believe in what you do but, of course, we have to execute it better."
But while Howe will argue there are factors behind Newcastle's slide to 14th, including injuries and a massive schedule, he also said: "I always have to look at myself first. I always say that. I'm number one accountable."
After conversations behind the scenes in the aftermath of Palace, Newcastle's coaching staff are getting on with the job and no more major discussions at board level have taken place.
PIF's last briefing within the four walls though made it clear where Newcastle would like to be. The club's director of communications, Lee Marshall, presented to supporters in the room on how the club sees the next few years at the most recent Fan Advisory Board.
The meeting minutes read: "Lee Marshall presented the Club’s long-term vision, outlining the ambition to become the number one football club in the world.
"LM reiterated that the club’s ambition is rooted in the vision of our chairman, His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, with a clear objective to credibly and sustainably challenge for both the Premier League and Women’s Super League titles by 2030.
"The Newcastle United Code was introduced as the foundation of the club’s culture. It comprises the core values of One Club, Excellence, Relentless, Accountable and Integrity, supported by behaviours and principles designed to apply to all staff across the organisation. LM provided an update on the one-hundred-day review, noting that the new chief executive is now in place and that the Newcastle United Code emerged from this process.
"He emphasised the importance of ambition, culture, mindset and decision making in accelerating progress, and confirmed that the work builds on existing aspirations, including those set out by our Chairman, His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan."
One thing is certain at Newcastle, PIF have not lowered their expectations and will not be happy with 14th place behind teams that have spent less.