Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe maintains board support despite 1-0 defeat to rivals Sunderland as owner refuses to be swayed by online pressure
Newcastle United’s managers will allow Eddie Howe and his coaching staff to address some of the underlying issues that threaten to derail the season.
Sunday afternoon’s 1-0 defeat at rivals Sunderland sparked an immediate backlash on social media, with some supporters growing concerned about their current manager. However, CEO David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson will not be influenced by online opinions about the manager’s future, Chronicle Live reports.
Instead, Newcastle’s leaders will be looking for a “reaction, not reaction” to the heartbreaking loss to the Black Cats. Even if the heavy defeat against Sunderland is put aside – no small feat on Tyneside under any circumstances – the board will look to focus on the wider picture.
In addition to progress in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, Newcastle are languishing in 12th place, with a chance to turn things around this season. Mr. Hopkinson will remain at the helm of PIF and Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayan throughout this period.
read more: Sunderland player issues brutal message to Newcastle after sending Dan Byrne to hospitalread more: Eddie Howe criticizes Sunderland’s hitting, Alan Shearer slams Newcastle as ‘rotten and pathetic’
But the PIF hasn’t pumped nearly half a billion pounds into clubs to help them sit at the bottom of the Premier League. PIF maintains that Howe remains the right person to lead the project and, despite setbacks along the way, he has earned positive reviews after winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Champions League twice.
However, this season has also seen some worrying defeats, including losses to West Ham, Brentford and most recently Sunderland. One of the big concerns is that the Howe team, which had previously declared that “fierce is our identity,” has disappeared without a trace.
After the game, Howe confessed that falling back was part of their strategy. He explained: “The plan for the first half was to be solid and compact.
“We didn’t necessarily have to counter-attack on the counter-attack. That would have been a by-product. We certainly wanted to dominate the ball, but that didn’t happen. Technically we weren’t good enough.”
“The second half changed and we wanted to be more aggressive and push forward. We conceded goals before we could pass the play. That was frustrating. The pressure changed from when we were down 1-0. We were a little more free and we were able to be a better version of ourselves.”
Howe referred to “fatigue” in subsequent exhibits, but refused to justify it. But for now, it’s back to square one for Howe and his coaching team.
Newcastle are not in serious danger of being relegated, with only four points separating them from the top five. Mr. Howe will be the first to recognize that enhancements are needed and will communicate them to those in charge.
The feeling is that he will be given enough time to turn the situation around. But there is a common understanding, both on the training ground and in the boardroom, that things are not as they should be.
But with the transfer window opening in two weeks, there is also a sense of patience coupled with the chance to bring in fresh talent.
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