43-year-old who Newcastle were told to appoint instead of Howe gets shock new job

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In late 2021, the Newcastle United owners made a big decision in appointing Eddie Howe as Steve Bruce’s successor.

It was a decision they were quickly criticised for, given the botched approach for Unai Emery and the other major names who were linked with managing the Magpies.

One of those names was Steven Gerrard, whose reputation was stronger than ever having just won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.

He was on Newcastle’s radar, but did not make the move to St James’ Park. However, it was not long before he began his managerial career in the Premier League. The Liverpool legend got the Aston Villa job, replacing Dean Smith.

It was an immediate chance for the Toon owners to see if they got the right man, but one journalist was quick to write off Newcastle’s appointment.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Martin Samuel stated that he thought the Newcastle owners had got it wrong. He thought they should have appointed a ‘marquee name’ like Gerrard instead of Howe, stating that Newcastle would be ‘kicking themselves’ over their decision.

Steven Gerrard takes job in Saudi Arabia

Fast forward to July 2023 and Samuel could not have been more wrong.

He described Gerrard as a ‘game-changing’ manager in November 2021, but the Scouser is now nowhere near Villa Park.

The former England captain was sacked last season as the wheels started to fall off, proving that he was not the right man for Newcastle and that the Toon owners had got it spot on with Howe.

Now Gerrard’s career has taken another turn, as he has been appointed the manager of Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq.

Lots of big names are heading to Saudi Arabia, and Gerrard is the latest, but the move just proves how much his stock has dropped in two years.

He should be climbing the footballing ladder, but his talents have only taken him as far as the Middle East. In contrast, the vanilla Eddie Howe has taken Newcastle from relegation fodder to the Champions League, via Wembley for a cup final.

Gerrard was and still is a big name, but his managerial credentials have taken a huge hit in recent times. The Newcastle owners got it spot on when they went with Howe, whose stock is at an all-time high.

Good job Martin Samuel wasn’t in charge of picking Steve Bruce’s successor, otherwise the past two seasons would have been very different.