Eddie Howe Has His Work Cut Out at Newcastle United

15/11/21 1074

Newcastle United fans have long been waiting for a change in ownership and although it has been controversial, the takeover of the club has finally been completed.

The club now has huge sums of money to spend in the transfer market and the goal for the owners is to see Newcastle United win the Premier League.

Having relieved Steve Bruce of his duties as manager, Eddie Howe has been handed the task of taking Newcastle United up the table.

The Englishman does not have a huge body of experience and has managed at only two other clubs, Burnley and Bournemouth.

The most recent memory of Howe is relegation with Bournemouth, which saw him leave the club but prior to that season, Howe built a good team on the south coast.

However, this is a different task and there was not a huge demand or expectation on Howe to take Bournemouth to the Premier League and produce the sort of performances they did during their time in the top-flight.

Newcastle United fans expect to see their team competing with the best in the Premier League and that expectation has grown considerably since the takeover of the club by Amanda Staveley’s consortium.

The Magpies now have huge funds at their disposal to strengthen the team and they are set to make several moves in the transfer market come January.

Unfortunately for Howe, he was not first choice and the job is believed to have been offered to Unai Emery, who decided to stay at Villarreal. Some of the other names linked to the club included Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte but that was a bit far-fetched considering Newcastle United’s position in the Premier League.

So, not only does Howe have to deal with the fact he was probably second choice, something which will start being mentioned should results go against him but he also has a relegation battle on his hands.

This is a team that has failed to win any of the 11 matches it has played in the Premier League. There is no time to build a team from the bottom up in his style, Howe needs to produce results and quickly or Newcastle United could be cut adrift in the relegation zone come January.

During his time at Bournemouth, Howe’s team played on the front-foot and were ambitious, something Newcastle United fans would love to see at St James’ Park. He has the ability to give the team an identity, something which has been lacking for some time at the club.

However, one area of the team that needs drastic improvement and quickly is the defence and Newcastle United have conceded 24 goals this season, just 2 goals fewer than Norwich City, who were recently thumped 7-0 by Chelsea.

Howe’s record at Bournemouth in the Premier League does not point to a manager who knows how to keep things tight at the back.

Can Howe save Newcastle United’s season and take them up the table? It is going to be a thrilling ride until the end of the campaign.