In light of an increasingly polarised and bitter Newcastle United social media fanbase, let’s start with some statements that most would agree with:
- The Alexander Isak situation in the summer was destabilising and damaging to the club.
- Partly as a result of the Isak departure, Newcastle’s attack is yet to function as well as it could.
- Overall, the recruitment from the summer is yet to be a success.
- Some key players have struggled for form this season.
- Newcastle’s away Premier League form has been poor.
- Performances have been inconsistent, and the team does not look as coherent tactically as it did for the majority of the preceding three seasons.
None of the above are controversial statements, whether you view things from the ‘happy clapper’ perspective, or are regarded as a ‘bed wetter’, but the tone of the debate on social media has become increasingly toxic on both sides despite the probable common ground on the above.
Who you hold responsible for the challenges of 2025/26 so far will depend on your own perspective when it comes to Newcastle United. An increasing number of vocal fans on social media appear to have concluded that Eddie Howe is the man to pin the blame on. This causes others to jump to his defence, which means the debate becomes binary, and the middle ground (where the truth most often lies) is vacated. The impact of relevant context is ignored, undervalued or over-exaggerated depending on your viewpoint.
Cards on the table – and this may be skewed by my age (40 this year) and the fact I had resigned myself to never seeing Newcastle win a trophy in my life – I retain unwavering faith and trust in Eddie Howe, and I believe this position is easily justified. But just because I think Howe remains the right man for the job does not mean I think he can do no wrong.
Howe’s in-game management, for example, has been questionable at times this season (the Dan Burn nightmare at Brentford, the West Ham debacle, and the meek surrender at Sunderland stand out). He has struggled to affect change using his substitutes, and the throwing away of leads and inability to fight back from deficits is most unlike Howe’s Newcastle of 2022 – 2025. Howe has been unable to land on a consistent system and tactical framework that gets the best out of his summer signings and mitigates the loss of Isak.
Howe’s main strength is in the coaching of his players, and for the second time in three years the team’s Premier League form has wavered when they have had a European campaign to contend with and less training time (albeit Aston Villa also experienced this during their Champions League campaign). The schedule has been relentless, but Europe is where Newcastle as a club want and need to be every season, and the manager must be able to train his players to cope with the extra demands.
Nobody on the outside knows the detail of what happened in the summer of 2025, but several of the signings have not yet made the grade. No manager has a 100% transfer hit rate (post-takeover Newcastle’s is extraordinarily high), and writing these players off completely would be premature, but Howe must extract a lot more from the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa for the summer not to go down as a profligate and wasteful use of resources. That Howe seemingly championed these expensive signings is another stick for his detractors to beat him with, although none were first choices and the difficulties with recruitment go above the manager.
Despite the above, the scale of the problems has been overexaggerated at times. Every time Newcastle don’t win a game (including against quality top five opposition) it is branded ’embarrassing’, ‘shambolic’, ‘disgraceful’ or ‘unacceptable’. Even when they do win there are fans rushing to denigrate the victory because it was ‘only’ against Burnley or Leeds.
The fact that Newcastle were top of the six-game Premier League form table even after losing to Villa is evidence that they are not alone in their troubles this season. The whole league is struggling for consistency and momentum and unlike previous seasons, there are (cliche alert) no easy games in the Premier League in this era of widespread low blocks and set piece-based percentage football.
In the current climate, Howe’s every comment is used against him. He can say something objectively and statistically true about the team playing well in patches (as they did against Villa and Liverpool) and it is met online with incredulity and disbelief. It is a boring truth that most matches are settled by fine margins, and Newcastle have ended up on the wrong side of the margins for the majority of the season, while struggling for consistency.
The patchy form has turned every game into a sort of social media based mini referendum on Howe’s ability as a manager, where the last four years are whitewashed, and the only answers are that he is dreadful and should be sacked or he is phenomenal and should have a job for life. Again, where is that middle ground? It is exhausting and frustrating to become embroiled in.
Newcastle have only the eighth highest wage bill (which is a more consistent indicator of outcomes than one off transfer window spending) in the Premier League and are sitting three points off 8th position with 42 points still to play for. Finishing outside of the top 6 would not be cause for panic stations, but it would feel disappointing after three seasons of overachievement and a couple of tastes of the Champions League. In this respect Howe is a victim of his own success, although another domestic cup semi-final and a solid Champions League campaign are feathers in his cap. Any form of European qualification would have to be regarded as an decent outcome after the way the summer went and the difficulties of the season.
The myth that Howe has no ‘plan b’ is easily debunked. You don’t achieve what he has with Newcastle by dogmatically sticking to a system that doesn’t work. He won a trophy less than 12 months ago and got a creditable draw at the European champions one week ago by employing a ‘plan b’, and just because he largely sticks to his 4-3-3 shape, it doesn’t mean that he isn’t making tweaks within it. Whether his adaptions work is another question, and they evidently don’t always, but that is impacted by the players’ execution of the tactics and time on the training pitch.
While trying to work out a way of getting the best out of Woltemade and Wissa, Howe must have concluded that it isn’t wise at this juncture to completely rip up what has brought success over three years, and what the majority of the squad are used to, to accommodate one or two players. Despite the outcry that accompanies every negative result, Newcastle have still been winning games. One of Howe’s strengths is his ability to screen out the noise and make objective decisions based on the vast amount of data he has access to, and his own experience.
Many fans don’t like this phrase, but it is a statement of fact that Newcastle are in a period of transition away from an elite striker who averaged more than 20 goals per season for three years and who the entire attack was shaped around. They were unable for various reasons to sign their first-choice replacements, so were forced into panic and had to make do with what was available in the market. This transition was forced upon the club probably 12 months sooner than they had anticipated, but the effects are still reverberating now. The Isak situation has to be a learning experience for the club because there is no doubt it derailed the season before it had even begun.
The nature of the summer of 2025 called into question the way in which Newcastle were being run at an executive level. Howe has had to contend with churn all around him and has now reported to four different Chief Executives and Directors of Football. This is critical context and is more impactful on the fortunes of the team on the pitch than some realise or care to admit. For three years Howe’s coaching turbo-charged the progress of the team despite the inconsistency of structure and strategy above him. With David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson now in place, these big picture concerns must be addressed, or it will be difficult for any manager to work effectively. Lines of delegation and decision-making sign off from PIF also have to become smoother.
There is a difference between looking backwards with hopeless nostalgia and using past events as a predictor of the future. Eddie Howe has not become a bad football manager in the space of 9 – 11 months since he led Newcastle to a trophy and Champions League qualification for the second time in three years. He has come through difficult periods before and brought success, and there is no reason why he can’t do it again in the right circumstances. Progress is not linear, and one average season in trying circumstances is not reason enough to dispense with the man who raised the profile of the club and the expectation level.
Will Howe ever be a truly elite manager? The jury is out, but right now Newcastle United are not an elite club. They are still a way behind the traditional ‘big 6’ in terms of resources and off field operations, and they behave nothing like an elite club at boardroom level. Howe is the right manager for a club of Newcastle’s current stature and resource, and would walk into another big job if he was sacked by Newcastle.
Howe has earned some patience, trust and faith, and yes, he still has ‘credit in the bank’ from his previous three years of overachievement. Credit which will last into next season at least. This season can still be a success, and then it is onto a big summer for everyone at the club to prove that they are serious about breaking through the glass ceiling and making steps to becoming ‘number one’. as per PIF’s stated (perhaps unwise) objective upon the takeover.
Eddie Howe deserves the chance to lead that charge with support from those above him. He will know as well as anybody that if progress is not made, the pressure will ramp up again, in the boardroom and the stands as well as on the internet.
HWTL!
IEWT
davewallace(Quote)
I applauded Eddie for lifting the first trophy for a long time, but he won’t be here much longer.
We’ve been **** all season, the summer signings have been ****, Woltemade isn’t a striker or target man, i won’t go into the rest, just ****. As for the squad being light, they say the same thing every season, they know the more competitions you’re in the more games you play = more injuries, howeh man, a blind man can see that.
As for this PSR ****, we all know why it was brought in, the so called big clubs sh*t themselves, when the toon got took over, they all called the saudi’s for their crimes, but not one of them wouldn’t want them as their owners, and that includes the biggest of them all, real madrid, just jealous, you had the bitches from inter milan, crying buy us instead, they’d all love PIF to own their club.
What get’s me is that the PIF just take whatever’s dealt to them, intead of having the ball’s to do what man city have done, and see you in court. It’s anti competition, what’s being done to us, and they’re just accepting it, fight the bstards in court, it’s a **** shame.
Back to Eddie, every manager of every team who goes up against us knows it’s going to be 4 3 3, he doesn’t have a plan b, because he says if you believe in your plan A, a plan B isn’t needed, he won’t change it.
The reason why they wait until the very end of the transfer window, as everybody know’s, is they don’t want to pay the wages, if they’d signed the players at the begining of the window.
As for the stadium, they need to move to a huge stadium, it’s no good spending billions to renovate st james’s for a few measley seats, it needs to be huge, that’s the only way they can catch the so called bigger teams, don’t make me laugh, we all know how big the toon would be. Do you know what it is, if the toon had half, not even half, a quater of the success of liverpool and man utd, you couldn’t build a stadium big enough, to get us all in.
I’m just sick of the excuses season after season, do fcking something about it, and show the whole world who the real giant is.
I just want to wish wor Kev (king kev) a speedy recovery, all the best, to you and your family, love you to bits.
I feel a bit better, i’ve got that off my chest.
HWTL ALWAYS.
Paul(Quote)
Well, you can say his problems only started this season, but personally, right after the League Cup win, I wrote that the only downside to that trophy was that it guaranteed Howe wouldn’t be sacked last summer. The next season we’d have European football, and the squad would hit another crisis.
I remember Howe’s time at Bournemouth very well, because that’s when the talk about him moving to a top club started. What I remember most is that he never managed to sustain form over a full season. A brilliant run of games, then a terrible slump — all within a few months. That’s exactly why all the top clubs backed away. In that sense, he’s a lot like Marco Silva, who also did excellent work at Hull and Watford but could never find consistency at any club.
Howe has a ceiling, and he hit it a long time ago. He’s already punched well above his weight, and you can’t keep doing that forever.
What irritates me is how all the success of the Saudi era is credited to Howe, while people forget the contributions of people like Sporting Director Ashworth and the club’s scouts.
When Howe was appointed, I said he was the best candidate on the list (which included names like Fonseca) because the immediate priority was survival — to get out of the relegation storm. But then we qualified for the Champions League, and he went from being a caretaker-style appointment to being hailed as the savior and a second Ferguson. He isn’t cut out to be a big-club manager. This didn’t start this season, and it won’t get better next season. If you want to see for yourselves — enjoy the show.
hmd(Quote)
Dear lord the comments.
Sean(Quote)
It’s no myth that he doesn’t have a Plan B. His 5-4-1 is just a variation of the same 4-3-3, only in a low block with slightly adjusted player roles – less intense pressing, more focused on triggering specific traps like waiting for an opponent’s bad touch or a loose pass.
In every version, he uses one central target man and two wide wingers. Yesterday, for example, in the Arsenal-Chelsea game, Chelsea’s front three was narrow. When defending, they press the centre-backs and midfielders, and in attack they push closer to goal. Under Howe, the wingers hug the touchline – they’re built for crossing, not attacking the goal directly. That’s the case whether he’s playing 4-3-3 or 5-4-1.
Many managers defensively transition into a two-striker shape (usually a 4-4-2), even if they only use one striker in attack. A midfielder often becomes the “second striker.” But I honestly can’t remember Howe ever doing that.
The only real tactical quirk I recall is occasionally having the left-back (Livramento or Hall) tuck into midfield during the build-up. But that never really worked, and he’d abandon it again for the next match.
Howe’s only undeniable strength is his work on physical conditioning and drilling the team within his single system – so the players always know where to run and what to do
hmd(Quote)
I’ve supported this great club for over 20 year now. I never truly felt we replaced sir Bobby until we got eddie howe in. There was some good managers in between that time but I never felt any of them could make us truly competitive anymore. Until howe came in. I don’t agree with every decision he makes. I’d love to see our youth given more of a chance. I’d love to see what Sean neave could do with a run of games. Having waited like 15 year for sir Bobby’s replacement I won’t be calling for eddie howe to ever be sacked. Makes me laugh when people think top class managers are common and easy to obtain.
Shhhhhhh(Quote)
Enough said, change is required at the club. The team need more a better manager.
Jordan(Quote)
The truth is the Premiere League have us by the short & curlies, the rest of the teams mostly all voted against us, especially the big 6.
We are constrained either financially due to PSR or Related Sponsorship, then the big 6 offer the players we are trying to build a team with more cash and entice them away.
Liverpool have done this since Bill Shankley was around, weakening the perceived threats to their supremacy.
In the meantime these clubs are just getting further away from the rest.
All the clubs take the psssss when it comes to us trying to buy off them or even selling to them.
The lack of action on a new stadium is ridiculous from PIF because we would almost certainly get the sponsorship we need to grow.
No matter which manager we bring in would be faced with the same problems.
Yes Howe can do your head in at times but it is not all his fault.
Joseph(Quote)
The problem I have with EH is that he’s too nice, great for the club bosses, says all the right things, never gets too emotional wether winning or losing & isn’t ruthless enough with the players. He was the same at Bournemouth & look what happened there, and we’re coming up to his 5th season where it all went wrong. If we don’t make europe next season, and don’t forget Villa did the season after making a CL QF, I can see him moving on “by mutual consent” as they say. His replacement? Tuchel, fresh from the World Cup where they’ll go out in the QFs, they could even swap jobs. Not every bodies cup of tea personality wise,but he’s a top coach, good enough to take us on to PL glory imho.
Goalden Muldoon(Quote)
Exactly, agree with everything you say, we all know the players are going to go where the money is, go no further than ravenelli all them years ago, and the so called bigger clubs know that. As for the stadium, 10 – 15000 extra seats at st james’s makes no sense to me financially. You’re going to need a lot more than that to try and catch up to them. See them in court, it’s anti competitive, i’m not a fan of man city, but at least they’ve tried to take them on, and won, but PIF just accept it, the money they have, they could get the best lawyers in the world, at least have a go.
Eddie is flawed, he’s only got one way of playing, how can you succeed, playing like that, you can’t, the only changes he makes is the playing personell, not good enough, he won’t be there too much longer, i hope i’m wrong, but can you really see us doing anything tonight against man city, i hope i’m wrong though.
Paul(Quote)
Just read that our CEO has said they’re looking to develop st james’s to 60 – 65000, what a waste of money and effort, you could build a brand new stadium, for the cost of that, what a waste of time.
Paul(Quote)
It’s fundamentally not true that it’s a transitional season because of ONE lost player. 23/24 was a transitional season, not this one. And the idea that because we’re not yet an Elite club, we cannot strive to be one is nonsense. Villa are where they are almost entirely down to Emery, and without him they’d crumble. The same cannot be said for us, despite the admiration and thanks myself and many have for Howe. The idea he’s shown he can turn things around is also clearly not true. We’re in the exact same position as during the 23/24 season with similar outcomes and we’ve spent significantly since then (24/25 turnaround was a season with no European football and Tonali’s return). Also Wissa was courted for the entirety of the summer, and Elanga/Ramsey the year before so the notion Howe had to settle for players that weren’t his preference is also laughable.
I have no problem with people backing Howe. I’d absolutely love to if evidence existed to suggest he has the ability to kick on. But all available evidence shows the complete opposite and you don’t have to stretch the truth to make your case. Sometimes managers (like players and all people) come to a natural end in their role and we’re clearly heading towards that stage. Give him a statue, a great send off and move on!
Scott(Quote)
Good Article.
One name that never gets mentioned now is Amanda Staveley.
She has been a huge miss for Eddie and the club in general. She was the foundation to our initial success and a go-between with the Saudis. The running of the club is where everything starts and this is where we are failing ahead of anywhere else.
Scott T(Quote)
They’re all idiots reading their comments
kevin bain(Quote)
kevin bain(Quote)
If you have a season ticket, please give it to a real fan who appreciates where we were and where we are now, manager and achievements made
kevin bain(Quote)
Idiots, no realists, i remember where we were. We’re going backwards, it’s about progression, we’re getting worse season after season.
They want the toon to be one of the biggest teams in the world by 2030, they better get their fingers out now then and do something, less than 4 year to go, can you really see us do that in 4 year, the way we’re going, coz i can’t.
I thought this was an open forum, not a closed shop, everyone has their own opinion, not like all the other sheep that go with the flow.
What gives you the right to call people on here idiots, when everyone has their own mind, the truth hurts, and i’m saying what i’m seeing, Eddie won’t be here much longer, whether he walks or gets sacked, the future will tell.
So you need a season ticket to love the toon, don’t make me laugh. My whole family loves the toon, not one of us has ever had a season ticket, we just simply can’t afford a season ticket, as so many other people in the same boat.
Paul(Quote)