More than two years ago, when Newcastle United were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage, speculation was rife that our Middle Eastern majority-owners were looking to replace Eddie Howe with a serial winner.
The name in the frame was Jose Mourinho, at the time manager of Roma. At the time, I argued strongly in an article on The Mag that appointing the “Special One” would be a retrograde step, despite all his success.
Here we are again, soon after our club’s second Champions League campaign in three seasons. This time the name is Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City team lasted no longer than Newcastle in their latest European adventure.
Guardiola first won the tournament with Barcelona in 2009 and again in 2011. His third success was with his current club in 2023.
Add to that impressive achievement three La Liga titles, three Bundesliga titles and six English Premier League titles, two Spanish Cups, two German Cups, two FA Cups, five English League Cups. The honours are almost endless, also including Fifa Club World Cups, Uefa Super Cups and Community Shields. Perhaps surprisingly, he has been named the world’s best coach a mere three times, first in 2008.
Why, then, would I want to stick with Howe (one League Cup) rather than replacing him with Guardiola, given the choice?
First, because I dislike the type of football his team have played since he moved to the Etihad in July 2016. There’s no denying it’s a winning formula but it’s often boring, risk averse and slow. If I supported one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, excitement would be a top priority.
Imagine watching a Premier League in which every team played Pepball. One of his disciples, the manager of Arsenal, espouses a similar style and it literally sends me to sleep.
Second, because Pep Guardiola wouldn’t guarantee success, denied the privileges he has enjoyed at the three clubs he has managed so far. They were all champions before he arrived. Man City, mockingly labelled the noisy neighbours when they were busy closing the gap on their adjacent rivals, had won the Premier League in 2012 and 2014. Bayern won the Bundesliga the season before he arrived. Barcelona won La Liga twice in the five years before he took charge and twice in the five years after he left. While his three titles in three seasons was a great achievement, it was not unprecedented. Barca won four in a row from 1990, when Guardiola was part of Johan Cruyff’s dream team.
Compare that with Howe’s challenge, taking the reins of a club in freefall, a club starved of meaningful success for more than 50 years. Even the most enthusiastic advocate for changing the guard at St James’ Park couldn’t honestly describe Guardiola’s body of work as transformational.
Third, the big difference in management styles: the Man City boss has just served his second touchline ban of the season, caused by his sixth yellow card. It was brandished by the referee for a characteristic rant during the FA Cup win at St James’ Park.
While apologies from the Catalonian are not unknown, he was in an uncompromising mood when commenting on the two-match suspension. “I will tell you something – we have all the records in this country, all of them, despite everything. We have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards. I want all records and now I have it.”
In the past seven seasons he has accumulated 14 yellow and red cards, a total only equalled by Marco Silva. Last season he was banned for one match after collecting a third yellow card in an FA Cup win at Bournemouth. That’s consistency for you . . .
If a manager cannot control his behaviour at a club with so many off-field advantages, how would he cope at the helm of underdogs? Like it or not, that’s the position he would inherit at Newcastle.
The phrase “despite everything” is a risible attempt to paint his club as the victim. If a man is judged by his words and his deeds, the description of Guardiola as classless would not be unfair.
What also concerns me is his on-field behaviour. Analysis of body language is overdone but what is Guardiola hoping to achieve when he button-holes a player, often from the opposition, at the final whistle? If I had just spent 90-plus minutes busting a gut, an animated opposition manager getting in my face wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of my wish list.
His club are still awaiting the verdict on 115+ alleged breaches of financial rules. While they might be cleared on those charges, they have already been fined more than £3m for delaying the kick-off or restart of 31 Premier League matches in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. Pep Guardiola clearly believes Louis XVIII of France was wrong when he declared: “Punctuality is the politeness of kings.” Or perhaps the world’s best club coach three times over feels some rules don’t apply to him.
The churn of players at the Etihad is remarkable. Only weeks after signing one top keeper to be their No1, he was sidelined when another took his place. Observers might see this as a positive, a manager never resting on his laurels. I view the James Trafford/Gianluigi Donnarumma episode primarily as a cynical attempt to deprive rivals of a young player who should be a Premier League regular.
Manchester City might win their seventh Premier League title in nine seasons next month but that still wouldn’t make me want to replace Eddie Howe. The incumbent at St James’ Park has done a brilliant job since joining in November 2021 and, with proper backing, will deliver more glory days. Even if he doesn’t, I’ll be richly entertained.