“What a mess.” Not my words but the reaction of my son in a succinct WhatsApp message.
The news that Eddie Howe has resigned became public knowledge at about 08.50 hours today (July 30).
When I checked the club’s official website for confirmation just before midday, the most relevant item I could find was the appointment of Shola Ameobi as Head of Corporate Affairs . . . two days ago.
Perhaps Shola’s remit excludes press releases! Maybe David Hopkinson, the Chief Executive Officer, and Ross Wilson, the Sporting Director, both of whom have been in situ for less than a year, are on holiday . . .
The deafening silence from officials of Newcastle United FC creates a vacuum that every Tom. Dick and Harry can fill. So here’s my take.
What our now departed chief coach/manager did in less than five years was amazing, given the club’s history since 1969.
That it was achieved against the background of a playing field less level than the legendary Yeovil slope makes the League Cup win and the two Champions League campaigns even more remarkable.
Breaking news: still nowt on the official NUFC website at 11.59 hours. Thank goodness that’s not my first port of call for all Toon-related matters.
The unofficial stories say Howe resigned at least two weeks ago, that he couldn’t be persuaded to stay and that he was “holding the fortress” until his replacement was appointed. This all has the ring of truth.
Even his harshest critic (there are plenty) would struggle to question Howe’s sense of honour and decency. In the parlance of Frank Richards, author of the Billy Bunter stories, Eddie was a “good egg”. We’ve certainly had a few rotten ones in and around St James’ Park, lest we forget.
A proper report answers a few essential questions: What? Who? When? Why? The first three are straightforward; the last one is often the most difficult to pin down, the easiest to get wrong.
Historians will look back to March 16, 2025 as the high-water mark of Howe’s tenure. Not only did Newcastle United win a first domestic trophy in 70 seasons — discounting second-tier titles — we beat the biggest and best in the Premier League while doing so. We also slayed a Wembley stadium albatross after a series of cup final defeats and no-shows.
More than one fellow-fan has reacted to the news (still nowt on newcastleunited.com at 12.28 hours) by saying Howe overstayed his welcome. They say he should have quit, for example, after we lost to a flukey own goal at the Stadium of Light. Or after we lost at home to the SMBs in the return game. Or at the end of last season.
Did Eddie Howe not deserve to choose his time of departure? I wanted him to stay, to rebuild again and again the team he inherited, though I respect his decision to resign.
Nobody except Howe knows the cost of his time in the hot seat. Those who are satisfied today — I hope no Newcastle United supporter is happy — ought to remember he was dangerously ill in the RVI only four weeks after he reluctantly joined the joyous celebrations in north-west London. Has he been the same man since?
The 2024/25 season ended with a second qualification for the Champions League in three years, after two decades without the elite delights of Dortmund, Leverkusen, Milan, Paris and the rest. If Howe had quit last summer, it would have been as unexpected as Paul Weller pulling the plug on The Jam at the height of their success. Or, for even older readers, Buddy Holly calling time on the Crickets.
Rather than resign a year ago, Howe was left to “hold the fortress” almost single-handed, because the club had no functioning CEO or sporting director. Would any self-respecting boss walk away from that scenario at that time? He also had to cope with the refusal of Alexander Isak to play for the club. As a manager who values loyalty and treats his players accordingly, that must have been a heavy blow.
The “why” question remains. Hopkinson’s public statements are few and far between; thankfully, in my opinion. In March he denied the club were discussing a change of manager “at this time”. His claim that we would be competing for all the top prizes within four years was met by everything from surprise to ridicule. With friends like that . . .
Breaking news: still nowt official from the club at 13.15 hours.
Having endured a decade and more of ambition-free governance, we all like our club to aim high but openly suggesting NUFC would be capable by 2030 of joining rivals who can spend two or three times our annual budget was at best foolhardy.
This summer has seen a distinct change in transfer activity: high-value, high-earning players have left; cheaper, younger players have joined. Nobody except Howe, Wilson and Hopkinson knows who has been calling the shots and I don’t expect any of them to spill the beans.
What is abundantly clear is PSR (profit and sustainability rules) and SCR (squad cost ratio) and every other bit of alphabet soup is having a profound effect on club football in England and in Uefa tournaments. We have been fined £6m by Uefa and, without selling more of our best players, that penalty was only likely to increase.
Why would anyone who valued his health, even a renowned workaholic, who had already made the supporters’ dreams come true, choose to start all over again with his hands tied behind his back?
In the Premier League, despite last season’s lowly finish, Howe won more matches than any other NUFC manager. His win percentage of 46.9 was bettered by one man: Kevin Keegan.
Having already resigned, what was Howe thinking at Ashton Gate last night in the seventh minute of his final game in charge, when the stadium hailed King Kev?
Two long-standing (now sitting) members of the Toon Army messaged me today, responding to the Good News/Bad News question (Eddie Howe leaving Newcastle United) in The Mag. Their views sum up our club and the supporters.
One said: “I have voted Bad News. Best purely football manager in my lifetime. Better than the chain-smoking cheerleading Joe Harvey. Better than the non-smoking cheerleading Kevin Keegan, though he had other qualities. Better than Sir Bobby, who was past his best when he came to us. Miles better than McGarry, Mitten, Pardew, Hughton, Bruce (!), Jack Charlton, Gordon Lee and Richard Dinnis.”
The other said: “Good News. He has made us stale, reflected in his team and tactics. We need new ideas, progressive proactive management. Eddie knows he would not be able to turn us around and he would have been gone by November, leaving us in a bigger mess than we are today.”
So there we are. More than five hours after the “bombshell news” broke, there is still nowt official from the club.
I was intending to write a few words on Eddie Howe’s alleged successor . . . but those can wait. After all, that deal is apparently not yet over the line.
This is the day to praise our former supremo, to thank him and wish him every happiness.