Eddie Howe has been in charge of Newcastle United for three years.
Way back on November 8 2021, PIF made their first appointment at Newcastle by bringing Howe to St James’ Park, after being snubbed by Unai Emery following the departure of Steve Bruce.
While the public nature of Emery’s rejection was a bitter pill to swallow at the time, it’s fair to say the club lucked out with their second choice.
Howe, after all, is the man who helped steer the club away from a relegation battle before leading his side to the Carabao Cup final and back into the Champions League.
Things may have stalled somewhat since but for that there are mitigating factors. Last season’s ridiculously difficult cup draws, an injury crisis and an inability to spend in the transfer market due to financial restrictions certainly have not helped.
That is not to suggest the Newcastle United manager has not been worthy of criticism at times, however.
Indeed, things will need to improve this season compared to last, albeit recent wins over Chelsea and Arsenal have again raised morale.
What needs to happen next for Eddie Howe and Newcastle
Three years into the job, it seems a judgement is soon coming from decision-makers on Tyneside.
TBR Football insider Graeme Bailey has told Geordie Boot Boys that this season is huge for Howe, with anything other than a finish within the Premier League’s top six perhaps being enough to force PIF to look elsewhere on the managerial front.
“It’s been a wildly successful three years for him,” he said.
“Generally, the club are very happy. Newcastle are not in this to make friends and impress people, they’re in it to become the most successful team in England. It should be a natural progression for them. They’re here to win the Premier League.
“Will that be with Eddie Howe? He’ll get that chance, but this is a huge season for them. They’re not in the Champions League, they’ve regressed from the season before. They need to be up there, they need to be challenging for the top four at the very least. If they see anything outside the top six finish, it’s going to be difficult.
“That’s what you get when you’re managing a big club like Newcastle, challenging for Champions League honours, nothing less than that will do.
“The fans love him, that’s fair to say. Obviously, the Paul Mitchell experience so far, they’ve clashed mightily since he came in. Obviously things have smoothed over slightly, but there’s still that tension there, of course there is.
“Will he see his fourth anniversary at the club? That’s the question. I think it will very much depend on where they finish, Inside the top six, I think they’ll stick with him, outside the top six, I think there’s a chance they’ll move on.
“He’s in this for success and when you’re at a club the size of Newcastle, he knows what that means. They’ve done fantastically well, but they need to be up there this season. I do understand that the hierarchy made that clear to Eddie in the summer, that they have to be in there and it’s going to be a tough slog. Tottenham, Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle, all pushing for that fourth place, it’s going to be very, very tough.”
What Eddie Howe needs to do at Newcastle this season
Consistency is key for Howe and Newcastle.
They’ve beaten Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea this season and claimed a creditable draw with Manchester City too. Still, it’s the results against the likes of Fulham and Brighton which have proven a problem.
Clearly, they aren’t easy games, but it does seem strange that Newcastle are generally competitive against the top teams (at least at home) but struggle against those slightly lower down.
There are some winnable games on the horizon, albeit Sunday’s opponents in Nottingham Forest are flying right now. If Newcastle can win those, the top six does not seem much of a pipe dream.
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