Eddie Howe’s future at Newcastle United will not be decided until the end of the season.
Despite Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, Sky Sports News understands Howe’s future will be discussed after the end of the campaign and no immediate action will be taken.
Newcastle have no plans to make any changes to their head coach at this time, but an end-of-season review will take place as normal.
CEO David Hopkinson said after the Sunderland game that it was not yet time to discuss Howe’s future, but that is still understood to be the case.
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Hopkinson said after the Tyneweir derby defeat: “I don’t take a stance on his future.”
“Eddie is our manager and we expect him to do well here until the end of the season and we will talk about the future when the time is right.”
“Right now I’m focused on this season’s games.”
Newcastle have suffered two further defeats since the game against Sunderland, against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, adding to the pressure on Howe amid dissatisfaction among some supporters. The Magpies sit 14th in the Premier League table, their lowest position since being relegated at the end of the 2015/16 season.
They are 13 points adrift of the Champions League places and six points adrift of the rest of Europe.
Analysis: Both Howe and owners could decide to move forward with splitting the fan base
Keith Downey of Sky Sports News:
“The situation hasn’t changed since the Bournemouth game, but it feels like it’s 50-50 within the fan base whether they want Eddie Howe to stay on as manager or not.
“Is that uncertainty contributing to the poor performance and overall negative mood? Potentially yes. It’s not the adventurous style of Newcastle we’ve seen in recent years.”
“It feels like some of our players have checked out to some degree, we have lost four in a row, eight out of 11 and five of our last six at the once fortress St James’s Park.
“I don’t think the PIF (club owners) will react opportunistically. They will assess the situation at the end of the season, but so will Howe himself, and he will question whether he is ready to play again.”
“There is a question as to whether he will remain at the club in the long term, but we won’t get an answer to that question until the end of the season.
“There will be up to eight, possibly nine departures of player staff this summer, which will mean a new rebuilding job for the second year in a row.
“After spending £250m in the summer, our last game didn’t go well and three of the five players we spent big money on didn’t go well either.
“Howe has to wear it. He didn’t sign his first choice players, but they were all players still on the list. He was asked about it directly a few weeks ago and admitted it.”
“But if you look at Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, the big stars whose futures are at the center of speculation, they will consider moving elsewhere if they feel their ambitions do not suit Newcastle.
“The club would expect these players to be looking to move elsewhere given the poor way the season ended. I don’t think the summer will be a sell-off, but I do expect Gordon, Tonali and other players to be exploring their options.”
Shearer: Players threw Howe under the bus – he will leave
Newcastle’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer defended Howe after the defeat to Bournemouth, claiming the players had thrown the manager under the bus in recent weeks.
He also predicted that the slide would ultimately lead to Howe leaving St James’ Park.
“Did you see it?” Shearer said of the Bournemouth game on the Rest is Football podcast. “I was going to say we were lucky enough, but I sat there and watched and the players were terrible.
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Sandro Tonali is one of several key players linked with a move from Newcastle.
“It’s tough for Eddie, but you don’t know what’s going to happen to him. I listened to his interview afterwards and saw him on the touchline, but does he want to go again? Will he have a chance to go again?”
“There are so many moving parts for him. All things being equal, yes, I would like him to[stay]but does he feel he has a chance? Does he want to do it again? Will Newcastle have to sell?”
“If he has money to spend and doesn’t have to sell, then yes. But I saw the players yesterday and if it was to fight for the manager, he was under a lot of pressure whether he liked it or not, so they were terrible. They threw him under the bus, the players. The performance was the best of each of them.”
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Eddie Howe admitted after the defeat to Crystal Palace that his team were disappointing their fans with their current form.
“It’s a tough situation, a tough summer coming up for Newcastle. They have some big decisions to make. “As I sit here, unfortunately, I don’t think Eddie will be the manager of Newcastle next season.
“I’ve watched his post-match interviews and I don’t know if the fight is there. This club is very different to the one he wants to move on to. He doesn’t seem to be in a good position.”
