Tim Sherwood’s warning doesn’t ring true after David Hopkinson claim
Eddie Hiowe saw Newcastle United lose at Man City
Eddie Howe’s future remains a conversation bubbling under the surface. The Newcastle United boss may be the most successful manager they’ve had in 70 years but it hasn’t stopped the murmurings.
Howe and Newcastle have endured a difficult season. The Alexander Isak transfer saga rocked their summer and despite spending £250million in the transfer window, their form has been inconsistent as the new boys take a while to bed in.
United sit 11th in the Premier League table, five points off the top five. The knockout competitions have been their salvation this season but after they relinquished their grip on the Carabao Cup against Manchester City they must turn their attention to the Premier League again to try and get back on track.
In the build-up to the clash at the Etihad, pundit Tim Sherwood had praised Howe for the job he’s done and insisted that he needs more help in the transfer market to keep pace with the big boys. However he did also question whether Howe has the support of PIF and the Newcastle power brokers – hinting that the 48-year-old could be up for the chop.
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“Has Eddie Howe taken Newcastle United as far as he can? Some days you see them and they look like they’ve run out of steam, and that’s mostly when they’re playing away from home,” Sherwood told Casinostugan.
“When they’re playing in front of their own fans it’s like someone has plugged an electrical charger into them. It helps, it really does and Newcastle fans are one hell of a 12th man to play against, believe me, especially on those European nights. It’s incredible up there.
“They will have to find another way to qualify to keep those European nights into next season and they are going to have to do it away from home in the Premier League because they are tailing off a bit but they are still capable of being party poopers and beating anyone on their day.
“I think Eddie has done a brilliant job since he’s come in and I’m not sure anyone could have done any better.
“I think he needs more help in the transfer market, certainly in the summer if he gets the opportunity, and I think he should. But you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. Some of the people making decisions at these football clubs don’t know football.”
The words from CEO David Hopkinson, however, speaking hours before the clash against City, didn’t hint at the club planning on making a managerial change. On the contrary – while the claim that PIF want to win the Premier League by 2030 could be seen by many as piling the pressure on Howe, Hopkinson claimed: “I’m really happy with the job he’s doing.”
The club is desperate for Champions League football again next season, having had a taste of it this campaign on both a football and financial level, but Hopkinson insists they haven’t set any targets.
When asked what Howe’s remit is for the ongoing campaign, Hopkinson added: “To maximise the potential of the squad he’s got.
“We haven’t given him a set target – achieve this, achieve that. He’s a deeply experienced, total professional, he’s going to go as high as we possibly can.
“He applies the same level of intention and attention to every match we play. Look, we haven’t given him a clear target saying ‘deliver this’, he knows what the ambition is and he knows what the target is.”
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