There’ll be plenty of nerves inside St James’ Park tonight, but it feels like Eddie Howe is the calmest man on Tyneside as we head towards kick-off.
The Toon boss always speaks so well, brimming with positivity, class and a sense of calm – three things he’s brought to the table ahead of our biggest game of the season in a few hours time.
His latest quotes are brilliant, where he talks about turning nerves into excitement, relaxing his players and encouraging all involved to embrace the opportunity to take a huge step towards a Champions League finish.
He’s aware that tonight is a “huge game” and respects the task in hand against an “excellent” Brighton side, but he is refusing to look too far ahead or focus on a Liverpool attempting to track us down, insisting that our top-four pursuit remains firmly in our hands. “It’s us against ourselves”, he says.
Read some of the best pre-match quotes below, starting with his response to Kieran Trippier’s ‘pressure is a privilege’ message before each game:
Eddie Howe on dealing with the pressure:
“I think when you are playing the important games, that is what we are in it for.
“It is a bit of a cliche but when we play football as kids, the cup finals are the ones you wanted to play in.
“Every big occasion I have had as a player and as a manager… the day before, the night before, your senses are heightened and you are thinking – This is what I have trained for, this is what I want.
“I definitely want that mentality. It has to be one of enjoyment. It has got to be one of I can’t wait for the game to start. I can’t wait to show how good I am. Not me personally but the players, I want that emotion to run through.
“They need to play relaxed. That is a big thing and that is what we have tried to do this week. To take any pressure off and enjoy our football, hopefully that will show in the game.”
Eddie Howe on tonight’s clash with Brighton:
“It’s a huge game. It’s one we’re looking forward to.
“I think it’s going to be a really good game between two excellent teams.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Brighton and what they’ve done this season, how they play and, watching them against Arsenal in their last match, I was hugely impressed.
“They play the same shape with a couple of rotations but they’re very good at what they do. They try and play through you centrally with really good bodies in the middle of the pitch and very good technically.
“Roberto has done an incredible job and I’m full of praise for how he’s set the team up and the style of football he wants to play.
“I think it’s going to be a really tough assignment for us but one, at home, that we’re not fearful of and hopefully we’ll take a big step forward.”
Howe on the pressure being applied by Liverpool:
“I don’t feel like we’re being hunted. I don’t feel that emotion. It’s us against ourselves, really. That’s how I see it. It’s us trying to be the best we can be.
“I’ve not focused on any other team all season. In my experience, I knew Liverpool were never far away because they are a top team and they are capable of going on runs of wins.
“They are very similar to Manchester City where they can win a group of games without blinking. They have got that experience. For us, we can’t look at it or compare ourselves to Liverpool. We just have to look at us.”
Eddie Howe on our final three games of the season:
“We’re not looking too far ahead. As I’ve said all season, it’s small steps and it’s the next game, trying to get three points against a really tough opponent. That’s all we can do at this moment in time.
“We can’t look beyond, at other teams’ fixtures and external factors. We have to look very much internally and bring our A-game because this is going to be a really tactical game, an intriguing battle and hopefully we can show our best.
“I’m well aware of the importance of every game now. We’ve got three left, there’s huge competition for the top four and, deep down, I always thought there would be because the quality of the teams we’re playing and competing against and also the size of the achievement. With that, it’s never going to be easy.
“We’re prepared for that as staff and I think the players are. This is going to be the hardest bit and we’re going to need everybody to pull together to try and achieve it.
“I actually thought we started the game (against Leeds) really well until we conceded, which sounds bizarre because we conceded after six minutes but we were on the front foot, in their half, and it was the first time they entered our box.
“I think starting the game, especially at home, is absolutely crucial and we try to involve the crowd and try to show them we are in the game to perform and how committed we are to success for the club. I think it’s vital.”
Eddie Howe on how far we’ve come since the start of the 2022/23 season:
“At the start of the season, when you take yourself back, I think I sat in this room and I said it was about making sure we weren’t fighting relegation.
“It was making sure we evolved and improved the team enough to be stable in the Premier League and then looking to grow the team the following seasons.
“We’ve certainly surpassed that and we’re in a position where we have three games (left). To take that position at the start of the season where it’s in our control means everything at this moment in time.
“The hard bit is to get over the line and win the games but that’s what we’ll try to do.”
