Manager

Newcastle United’s manager has been Eddie Howe since November 2021 after replacing Steve Bruce at St James’ Park. Hiring the Englishman was among the Toon’s first tasks with Saudi-backed owners.

Tyneside chiefs saw appointing Howe in charge as a priority with Bruce overseeing a likely relegation fight to start that season. Newcastle sat 19th in the table and were without a win from seven games, in which they only scored eight goals. But Howe would guide the Toon to an 11th-placed finish that term.

Howe had already established a reputation in the English game for his brand of attacking football at AFC Bournemouth. Yet his tenure on Tyneside so far has seen Howe move away from the defensive troubles that plagued the tactician’s time at the Cherries. He has also guided the Toon to a cup final.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe’s past coaching career

Bournemouth gave Howe his breakthrough as a coach back in December 2008 whilst the south coast side battelled against liquidation. He already had great connections to the club having started out as a player there. The former defender also returned to and finished his playing career with Bournemouth.

Howe assumed the role of caretaker manager in 2008 after Bournemouth sacked Jimmy Quinn. The club soon gave him the position permanently in January 2009 and he oversaw their great escape to avoid falling out of the Football League. Then, in 2009/10, he would take the Cherries to promotion.

January 2011 would then see Burnley come calling for the impressive young coach with the Clarets poaching Howe. But his time at Turf Moor only lasted 18 months before Howe and assistant coach Jason Tindall re-joined Bournemouth. He would then lead the club to promotion from League One.

Eddie Howe had a dream on minus-17 at AFC Bournemouth

It took Howe and Bournemouth just two seasons in the Championship before the Cherries won the second-tier title. The club’s first time in the Premier League marked a seismic point in their journey back from the brink of collapse, having required bucket collections to avoid going bust back in 1997.

Financial problems had continued to plague the club before Howe took over with Bournemouth put into administration in February 2008. The Cherries also accepted a 17-point deduction and to play in League Two for 2008/09. But Howe had a dream and he guided the Cherries to the top-flight.

Bournemouth enjoyed five seasons in the Premier League which featured some historic results in the club’s history. West Ham United were the first top-flight team to fall to the Cherries in August 2015. While Howe also orchestrated wins over Chelsea and Manchester United whilst on the south coast.

Howe ultimately called time on his spell as manager of Bournemouth in August 2020 after enduring relegation to the Championship. The Cherries took it to the final day of the campaign before losing at Everton. But only VAR not denying a goal against Aston Villa saw the Villans pip them by one point.

Eddie Howe’s coaching career

AFC Bournemouth (2008-2011)

Burnley (2011-2012)

AFC Bournemouth (2012-2020)

Newcastle United (2021-present)

Eddie Howe’s playing career

Howe’s connection with Bournemouth began back in the 1990s when he joined the club as a youth prospect. The centre-half would make his senior breakthrough with the Cherries in December 1995, as well. While his efforts at the club saw Harry Redknapp sign Howe for Portsmouth during March 2002.

The defender’s spell at Fratton Park was not as fruitful as it had been at Dean Court and he returned on loan in 2004 after a brief spell with Swindon Town. Bournemouth then bought Howe back during the summer of 2004. He had proven his fitness after two years plagued by knee injuries at Pompey.

Unfortunately, injuries continued to take their toll on Howe and he had to retire in June 2007 at just 29. The talented centre-half later revealed to The Telegraph in December 2015 how him dislocating his knee in the defender’s second game for Portsmouth following a £400k move was effectively the end.

“I dislocated my knee cap and chipped a bit of bone under my knee, and then I had a micro-fracture and basically the joint was never the same,” Howe explained. “It was painful. I had lost all power – I couldn’t squat [and] I couldn’t run. I didn’t actually know at the time what I had done.”

It was not until 2003 that doctors ultimately detected the micro-fracture. But Howe would never be the same player again. He would, however, enjoy three more seasons at Bournemouth after the club’s fans raised £21k in the ‘Eddieshare’ scheme to fund his return from Portsmouth, The Telegraph also adds.

Eddie Howe at Newcastle United

Newcastle would eventually bring Bournemouth’s miracle man, Howe, back in from the managerial wilderness in November 2021. He had spent the previous 15 months without a job having waited for the right opening after quitting the Cherries. But his task at St James’ was another relegation fight.

Howe became manager of Newcastle with the Toon 19th in the Premier League table and winless in 11 fixtures. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Reuben brothers and Amanda Staveley had earlier fired Bruce after becoming Newcastle’s owners having not won any of the first seven games.

Graeme Jones assumed the role of caretaker manager in the interim but failed to guide the Toon up from 19th. Yet Howe would see Newcastle finish the 2021/22 season in 11th place – the club’s best finish since 2017/18. While the 2022/23 season saw Howe guide the Toon back to a major cup final.

The PIF, Staveley and the Reuben brothers backed Howe to build a competitive Newcastle side in the summer of 2022. He built on the January arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes for £41.5m, Kieran Trippier for £12m, Dan Burn for £13m and Chris Wood for £25m by retaining Matt Target after an initial loan deal.

Targett cost Newcastle £15m before Sven Botman arrived for £35m, Nick Pope joined for £12m and Alexander Isak arrived for a club-record £63m. Together, they helped Howe guide Newcastle into the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) final. But Manchester United won the match at Wembley 2-0.

The Magpies had not reached a major cup final since losing the 1998/99 FA Cup final. While Howe as manager of Newcastle also now has the Toon dreaming of qualifying for Europe. Before the 2022/23 season, the Tyneside outfit had not played in a UEFA competition since the 2012/13 Europa League.