I have never met Eddie Howe, yet over the past five years he has brought more happiness into my life than he could ever know.
When the news broke that he had resigned as Newcastle United manager, I felt heartbroken.
Not because football managers don’t move on. They always do. I was heartbroken because I knew an extraordinary chapter in the history of our football club had come to an end.
After the sadness came something else.
Gratitude.
This isn’t about why Eddie left, whether the club could have done more to keep him or who should replace him. There will be plenty written about that. This is simply my way of saying thank you.
I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, more than 17,000 kilometres from St James’ Park, yet Newcastle United has been part of my life for more than thirty years. My mum emigrated from Newcastle with her family in 1964 at the age of 12 and it was my uncle Terry who introduced me to the club during the Kevin Keegan years. Like so many supporters, I fell in love with the black and white shirt, the passion of the supporters and the feeling that Newcastle United was always about something bigger than football.
Following the club from Australia wasn’t easy back in the 90s. There was very limited television coverage, no social media and only the earliest forms of online coverage. Every week, I would wait for the Premier League highlights on SBS, buy football magazines from the local newsagent and carefully update my own league table at home. Every result mattered. Every point mattered. Somehow, the distance only strengthened the connection.
In 2007, I finally made the trip to Newcastle. I toured St James’ Park, watched a goalless draw against Aston Villa from Level 7 and spent time with my uncle’s childhood friend, Edward Castling, who proudly showed us around the city, including the Angel of the North. Standing there, thousands of miles from the city where I was born, I realised something unexpected. Newcastle felt like home.
Like so many supporters, I endured the Mike Ashley years. We all remember them. Fourteen years, ten managers and two relegations. Of course, I still loved Newcastle United, because that’s what supporters do, but somewhere along the way I had fallen out of love with the experience of following the club. Hope had slowly been replaced by resignation.
Then came October 2021. The takeover gave supporters something they had almost forgotten. Hope. The scenes outside St James’ Park when the new owners arrived weren’t about wealth. They were about possibility. It felt as though a football club that had stood still for so long could finally start dreaming again.
Then Eddie Howe walked through the door.
Pundits questioned whether he was the right appointment. Some described it as a gamble. Newcastle United were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and many believed relegation was inevitable.
Eddie never answered those doubts with words. He answered them with actions.
What followed over the next five years was the most enjoyable period I have experienced as a Newcastle supporter.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t simply checking results. I found myself staying awake until midnight, one o’clock and two o’clock in the morning to watch Newcastle play live. If I couldn’t watch live, I would spend the following day avoiding every score, every headline and every notification so I could watch the full match later as though it were live. I didn’t want to miss a single minute.
After years of simply following Newcastle United, I had completely fallen in love with watching them again.
That was Eddie Howe’s gift. He made football joyful again.
Watching “We Are Newcastle United” on Amazon Prime felt like seeing the emotions of every supporter brought to life. One fan simply said, “We’ve got our club back.” Another said, “I’ve got hope back.”
Those words perfectly captured how I felt from the other side of the world.
Hope had returned.
The football was exciting but it was the people who made it special.
Who could forget Miguel Almiron’s unforgettable run of goals and that infectious smile that somehow became even bigger with every celebration? Jacob Murphy became one of the Premier League’s most dangerous wide players, delivering cross after cross with relentless energy. Sean Longstaff, one of our own, scored twice to send Newcastle to Wembley.
Dan Burn, another proud Geordie, lived every supporter’s dream by scoring in the Carabao Cup final. Joelinton transformed from a struggling striker into one of the league’s most dominant midfielders before our eyes. Lewis Miley walked into Champions League football at just seventeen with a composure that belied his age.
Every player seemed to become a better version of themselves.
Even the difficult moments strengthened the bond. The injury crisis that threatened to derail an entire season would have broken many teams. Eddie never complained or looked for sympathy. He trusted young Lewis Miley and quietly got on with the job. That resilience became part of the identity of the team.
I found myself looking forward to Eddie’s press conferences every week. They were never about creating headlines. He never publicly criticised his players, blamed referees and always spoke respectfully about opponents. Win, lose or draw, he carried himself and the club with humility, dignity and honesty.
In an era when football often feels dominated by outrage and ego, Eddie Howe reminded us that kindness and decency still have a place at the very highest level.
Watching from Australia, it often felt as though I could sense the joy throughout the city. The sea of black and white scarves. The incredible displays created by Wor Flags. The unforgettable Champions League nights. The astonishing 4-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. Going 5-0 up against Tottenham after just twenty-one minutes. Finally ending the long wait for a major domestic trophy. The victory parade that filled the streets with hundreds of thousands of supporters celebrating together.
Every image that came back from Newcastle seemed to radiate pride.
One of my favourite traditions of the Eddie Howe era came after the final whistle: the team photographs after every victory. Players, coaches and staff squeezed together, smiling like a group of friends rather than work colleagues. Every picture captured another memory. Looking back now, they feel like a family photo album documenting five remarkable years.
There were tears too. Saying goodbye to players such as Miguel Almiron, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson was emotional because they had become part of something much bigger than themselves. They weren’t just footballers. They were part of a team that had restored belief.
People will debate where Eddie Howe belongs alongside Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson. They should. Those are conversations worthy of Newcastle United.
Kevin Keegan made me fall in love with Newcastle United.
Sir Bobby Robson reminded us what the club could be.
Eddie Howe allowed us to live that dream again.
People will remember the trophy, the Champions League nights and the victories. I think I’ll remember something even more important: how those five years made me feel.
He gave us memories, belief, hope and joy. Those are things no league table can ever measure.
As supporters, we now begin another chapter. There will be a new manager, new players and new challenges. Football never stands still. Nor should it.
My hope is that we don’t allow the sadness of this moment to overshadow everything that came before it. Let’s remember the nights that made us smile. Let’s remember the celebrations, the songs, the embraces, the team photographs and the overwhelming sense of pride that returned to Newcastle United.
Let’s stay united, because that is what this football club has always been about.
To Eddie Howe, Jason Tindall, Graeme Jones and every player, coach, member of staff and volunteer who made these five years so unforgettable, thank you.
You gave countless supporters memories that will last a lifetime.
From one Newcastle supporter in Melbourne to a man who brought happiness to millions around the world, thank you for everything.
I wish Eddie and his family every happiness, every success and every joy in whatever comes next. I hope this new chapter brings them as much fulfilment as they brought to all of us over the past five years.
You will always be welcomed back to St James’ Park.
You will always be one of us.
Thank you, Eddie.
Howay the Lads.