Eddie Howe is an elite manager and I can prove it

Written on Thursday, 02 April 2026
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A lot of debate at the minute but Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe is an elite manager and I can prove it.

Over the past decade, dozens of managers have come and gone in the Premier League.

Below, I have highlighted the so-called “big six,” whose financial power makes fair comparison difficult.

Even though Howe’s win percentage exceeds managers at Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Manchester United, I have also noted some managers who have had seasons in the championship—and a clear picture emerges.

Among roughly 70 managers in that group, Howe’s win percentage stands at the very top.

This is elite level over-performance.

That’s why the idea that replacing him would automatically lead to improvement doesn’t just feel risky—it feels illogical.

Win percentage of managers

ManagerClubWin %Context
Maurizio SarriChelsea61.90Top 6 club more financial resources
Jürgen KloppLiverpool60.90Top 6 club more financial resources
Thomas TuchelChelsea60.00Top 6 club more financial resources
Enzo MarescaChelsea59.78Top 6 club more financial resources
José MourinhoManchester United58.33Top 6 club more financial resources
Xisco MuñozWatford58.33Incudes championship season
Arsène WengerArsenal57.20Top 6 club more financial resources
Unai EmeryArsenal55.10Top 6 club more financial resources
Erik ten HagManchester United54.69Top 6 club more financial resources
Mauricio PochettinoTottenham Hotspur54.61Top 6 club more financial resources
Ole Gunnar SolskjærManchester United54.17Top 6 club more financial resources
Antonio ConteTottenham Hotspur53.95Top 6 club more financial resources
Scott ParkerBournemouth50.90Incudes championship season
Frank LampardChelsea52.40Top 6 club more financial resources
José MourinhoTottenham Hotspur51.16Top 6 club more financial resources
Mauricio PochettinoChelsea50.98Top 6 club more financial resources
Paul HeckingbottomSheffield United50.90Incudes championship season
Eddie HoweNewcastle United49.10
Nuno Espírito SantoWolves47.70Incudes championship season
Nuno Espírito SantoTottenham Hotspur47.10Top 6 club more financial resources
Marcelo BielsaLeeds United47.65Incudes championship season
Aitor KarankaMiddlesbrough46.80Incudes championship season
Chris WilderSheffield United46.70Incudes championship season
Carlo AncelottiEverton46.27
Russell MartinSouthampton45.21Incudes championship season
Brendan RodgersLeicester City45.10
David MoyesWest Ham United44.60
Claudio RanieriLeicester City44.44
Slaviša JokanovićFulham44.14Incudes championship season
Roberto De ZerbiBrighton & Hove Albion42.70
Rafael BenítezNewcastle United42.50Incudes championship season
Craig ShakespeareLeicester City42.30
Ronald KoemanEverton41.38
Daniel FarkeNorwich City41.80
Thomas FrankBrentford41.60
Chris HughtonBrighton & Hove Albion40.93Incudes championship season
Alan PardewCrystal Palace40.20
Eddie HoweBournemouth40.20Incudes championship season
Marco SilvaEverton40.00
Slaven BilićWest Bromwich Albion40.00
Sean DycheNottingham Forest40.00
Dean SmithAston Villa39.57Incudes championship season
Steve CooperNottingham Forest38.89Incudes championship season
Graham PotterChelsea38.71Top 6 club more financial resources
Sam AllardyceEverton38.50
Nuno Espírito SantoNottingham Forest38.40
Rúben AmorimManchester United38.10Top 6 club more financial resources
Javi GraciaWatford37.88
Slaven BilićWest Ham United37.84
Claude PuelSouthampton37.74
Sam AllardyceCrystal Palace37.50
Manuel PellegriniWest Ham United37.50
Bruno LageWolves37.25
Julen LopeteguiWolves37.04
Vítor PereiraWolves36.84
Marco SilvaHull City36.40
Francesco GuidolinSwansea City36.00
Nathan JonesSouthampton35.70
Mark HughesStoke City35.50
Scott ParkerFulham35.20Incudes championship season
Sean DycheBurnley35.06
Claude PuelLeicester City34.33
Paul ClementSwansea City34.10
Ralph HasenhüttlSouthampton34.10
Thomas FrankTottenham Hotspur34.20Top 6 club more financial resources
Roy HodgsonCrystal Palace33.33
David WagnerHuddersfield Town33.12
Steven GerrardAston Villa32.50
Carlos CarvalhalSwansea City32.00
Julen LopeteguiWest Ham United31.82
Nigel PearsonWatford31.82
Rafael BenítezEverton31.80
Roy HodgsonCrystal Palace31.58
Gary O’NeilWolves31.75
Graham PotterBrighton & Hove Albion31.11
Sean DycheEverton30.95
Marco SilvaWatford30.80
Tony PulisWest Bromwich Albion29.75
Jesse MarschLeeds United29.73
Gary O’NeilBournemouth29.73
Patrick VieiraCrystal Palace29.73
Walter MazzarriWatford29.27
David MoyesWest Ham United29.00
Steve BruceNewcastle United28.90
Dean SmithNorwich City28.57
Paul HeckingbottomSheffield United27.30Incudes championship season
Frank LampardEverton27.30
Mauricio PellegrinoSouthampton25.71
Mike PhelanHull City25.00
Javi GraciaLeeds United25.00
Graham PotterWest Ham United24.00
Steve CooperLeicester City20.00
Frank de BoerCrystal Palace20.00
David MoyesSunderland18.60
Mark HughesSouthampton18.50
Bob BradleySwansea City18.18
Claudio RanieriFulham17.65
Quique Sánchez FloresWatford16.67
Sam AllardyceWest Bromwich Albion15.40
Alan PardewWest Bromwich Albion14.30
Claudio RanieriWatford14.29
Igor TudorTottenham Hotspur14.30Top 6 club more financial resources
Paul LambertStoke City13.30
Ivan JurićSouthampton12.50
Roy HodgsonWatford11.11
Ange PostecoglouNottingham Forest0.00

Take Carlo Ancelotti, one of the most decorated managers in modern football. Even he, with all his experience and pedigree, couldn’t produce a sustained upward trajectory at Everton with comparable resources. Success at this level is rare.

And yet, after this derby home defeat in the last match, there’s talk of turning on Eddie Howe.

If I were a Sunderland supporter, I’d be laughing. Not because of one result but because of the reaction to it.

Rival fans would love nothing more than to see Newcastle United destabilise itself by discarding a manager who has built genuine progress.

Right now we are a house of cards. I genuinely believe that if Eddie Howe goes, we will in all likelihood implode like Leicester and Everton, the two previous teams who tried to challenge the “big” six.

A derby defeat can be put right next time. Losing a manager of Howe’s calibre may take years to recover from. Just look at Tottenham when they got rid of Pochettino—they are still paying the price for that mistake.

Think we can do better than Eddie Howe? Think again.

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