Eddie Howe has often been accused of being too loyal to some of his Newcastle United players.
Throughout his time as Newcastle United manager, the likes of Dan Burn, Nick Pope, Joelinton and Anthony Gordon have all kept their places despite poor performances.
That has broadly been a good thing. On most occasions, players have responded and turned their form around.
However, Howe has been too loyal to some Newcastle players this season. The idea that he won’t drop Pope after a series of mistakes is no doubt a concern amongst fans.
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Outside of Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, not many of Newcastle’s summer signings have been given much of a chance yet.
Amid a desperately poor run of away form, that has been disappointing to see.
Still, the Toon boss has denied claims he’s too loyal to his players.
Eddie Howe insists he isn’t too loyal to some of his Newcastle United players
Howe was speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League trip to Everton on Saturday evening.
He was asked if he had favourites within the Newcastle United squad, with Burn, Pope, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes mentioned.
Wary of falling into a “trap”, Howe denied any suggestions that he was too loyal.
Eddie Howe completely disagrees to fan theory, he’s NOT too loyal to his players 🗣️
“There’s no such thing [when asked if there were any first names on the teamsheet],” he said.
“There’s no such thing, I think I’m falling into a trap with that one.
“I pick a team based on who I think gives us the best chance to win the game, that’s it.
“There’s no favourites, there’s no loyalty as such, it’s about trying to pick the team that I think can win.”
Actions will speak louder than words for Eddie Howe
Hopefully, that puts the squad on alert. They cannot just rest on their laurels.
Still, Howe needs to stick to his word. He has, at times, been too slow to change things when they clearly aren’t working.
Pope is a fine example. He may genuinely believe that he’s the best goalkeeper at Newcastle but continuing to overlook his mistakes risks invoking the ire of the fanbase.
The same goes with Gordon, who has consistently underperformed in the Premier League for what feels like an age now.
Howe is certainly saying the right things but only he can decide to follow through with them.
Actions speak louder than words.
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