There was a method behind Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson’s words on Eddie Howe’s future last month.
Indeed, Hopkinson recently offered a slightly cryptic update on Howe’s future as Newcastle United manager when he said: “We will talk about the future when it’s time.”
If you had to put a percentage on it….
That theoretically left the door slightly open to a potential exit and suggested the Newcastle United hierarchy would make a decision when this arduous season finally finishes.
However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Hopkinson wasn’t trying to be cryptic.
Hopkinson wanted to avoid giving Howe a vote of confidence
According to Ornstein’s latest report, Hopkinson did not want to appear to give Howe the dreaded vote of confidence that managers under pressure can get from their bosses.
So many times over the history of football has a manager been publicly backed from above before the complete opposite has unfolded.
Do you think PIF have lost interest in Newcastle United? 🤔
Hopkinson, it seems, was keen to avoid that with his comments – which shows a certain degree of footballing nous.
While the Canadian has previously worked for Real Madrid, it wasn’t in the same kind of role he is undertaking on Tyneside.
As it stands right now, Howe is still expected to be in charge of Newcastle next season.
Whether that is the right decision remains to be seen. While Howe is a Newcastle United legend, his team are in disarray and the final few games of the season and things are starting to feel a little toxic.
It will be fascinating to see how the next few games unfold. Newcastle’s season cannot realistically get much better, but it can sure get an awful lot worse.
It’s a shame that things have even reached this point. Howe is not completely to blame for Newcastle’s failures this season, but it would be foolish to suggest that he should be absolved of it.
Unless Newcastle win almost every game in convincing fashion between now and the end of the season, the debate will rage on.
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