Eddie Howe explains why he was so angry against West Ham

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Eddie Howe is normally cool, calm and composed on the Newcastle United touchline, but he has become rather animated in the previous two games.

The Newcastle boss got in the face of Erik ten Hag at the weekend, furious that the Manchester United bench had accused his side of timewasting.

Howe was angry once again on Wednesday night, but this time it was with his own players.

Midway through the first half, Nick Pope hit the deck for treatment, with Toon physios rushing onto the pitch. While they looked to aid the goalkeeper’s ailment, Howe gathered his players and gave them a real dressing down.

Cynics would suggest that Pope was not even injured, but it gave Howe the chance to convey an important message to players after a strange start to the game. Despite being 2-0 up, Newcastle never looked in control – much to the anger of Howe.

Why Eddie Howe was so angry with his players

After the game, Howe spoke to the Athletic. He was asked about why he was so angry with his players midway through the first half at the London Stadium.

“We were agitated with the level of performance,” he said.

“We looked fatigued. I don’t think we were great in elements of our game, but mentally we got through it.

“We’ve set such high standards for ourselves, we didn’t want to let it get away from us. Never to the point of losing control, but anger is an important emotion to have as a manager.”

Howe demands perfection

It is rare that you see Howe get irate. It is normally Jason Tindall who is kicking up a fuss on the touchline – usually with the opposition.

But Howe let his emotions out on Wednesday night, because he was not happy with the level of performance. At the time it was 2-0, but Howe was not going to let complacency set in.

The Newcastle boss is an absolute perfectionist, and his level of detail is why we are where we are today. We aren’t third in the Premier League by luck. It is largely down to Howe’s meticulous approach and desire to be the best.

Howe got the desired response, with Newcastle going on to win 5-1. However, they were massively boosted by a cataclysmic performance from West Ham. They were woeful on Wednesday night, with the Magpies cruising to victory.

It should be tougher on Saturday against Brentford, and Howe will hope he doesn’t have to give his players another talking to midway through the game.