Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been struggling this season, but he will be buoyed to hear words of support coming from an unlikely source.
After the defeat against Man United on boxing day and the tame performance in that game, more and more people are starting to question Eddie Howe.
If Newcastle United don’t beat Burnley, were would you stand on Eddie Howe’s future?
He’s been accused of tactical inflexibility, a reluctance to take risks, and showing too much loyalty to underperforming players. Still, it’s unlikely Newcastle United would part ways with Howe just yet.
Regardless, even Alan Shearer has criticised Howe and his players of late, and rightly so. However, the Newcastle boss does at least have Roy Keane, of all people, fighting his corner.
Roy Keane thinks Eddie Howe can pass Newcastle United test
In the wake of that defeat at Old Trafford, most of the noise around Howe’s position was negative. Former Sunderland manager, Keane, however, had a different take.
He said: “They will have to [have a strong start to 2026]. They have nine games in January so they will be tested in terms of the squad.
“But the one thing with Eddie Howe that we’ve seen over the last few years is that he’s calm with all of this stuff. I know there can be extreme reactions up at Newcastle, the same as Sunderland, but he’s a calm influence. He’ll look at these games and they will regroup and they will go again.”
It is thought that a lack of progress could cost Howe his job at Newcastle. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around and achieve that progress this season, be it in terms of landing a top five spot and staying in the Champions League, or more success in the domestic cup competitions.
But, the turnaround simply has to begin against Burnley, and some consistency must be found quickly.
- READ MORE: Why Eddie Howe isn’t holding his usual press conference ahead of Burnley vs Newcastle United
If Eddie Howe isn’t going to be Newcastle United manager, who should be?
Who could replace Eddie Howe?
We would be very surprised to see Eddie Howe’s time as Newcastle United manager come to an end at any point this season. In many ways, he’s got enough credit in the bank thanks to the Carabao Cup triumph last term to get him to next summer, at least.
One of the big problems facing PIF if they do sack Howe, though, is who to replace him with. The fact of the matter is, there are just not that many viable options out there.
Domestically, you look at someone like Unai Emery as a prime candidate, but would he really leave Aston Villa given the success he is having there? Probably not. Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner are also highly-rated, but have shown their weaknesses of late and do not present significant upgrades for Newcastle.
Outside of England, there are plenty of potential options. But, as with any acquisition from another league, there is a risk that the talent might not translate to the Premier League. Whether PIF are willing to take that gamble is another matter.
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