Eddie Howe has led Newcastle United to glory for the first time in 56 years.
The agonising wait for a major trophy finally came to an end on Sunday, Newcastle United are Carabao Cup champions.
Newcastle’s road to the final wasn’t an easy one by any means, they had to beat the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal before finally getting past Liverpool to become the first Magpies squad to lift a trophy since Joe Harvey’s Fairs Cup-winning side in 1969.
Eddie Howe has revolutionised Newcastle, taking them from probable relegation to the Champions League and a cup win in less than four years, firmly etching himself into the history books on Tyneside.
Newcastle fans praised Tino Livramento for his performance, the young defender kept Mohamed Salah quiet for the whole game in what has turned out to be a piece of tactical excellence from Howe. Lewis Hall missed the final through injury meaning Livramento moved into that spot and Kieran Trippier filled in at right back to great effect.
Not many believed that Howe would be as successful as he has on Tyneside, including duo Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy, whose words from 2021 have resurfaced after the win.
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Jason Cundy and Jamie O’Hara on Eddie Howe in 2021
When Newcastle were taken over in 2021, fans had high hopes over who would replace Steve Bruce as manager. Names like Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Martinez were mentioned at the start before the 47-year-old came in.
Bruce tried to recommend Steven Gerrard to Amanda Staveley when he was leaving the club, a move that would’ve been disastrous had Newcastle’s owners gone through with it.
Thankfully, Howe’s reign as Newcastle boss has been an outstanding success with Sunday’s cup win undoubtedly the biggest moment of his time on Tyneside.
However, pundits Cundy and O’Hara were very quick to write Howe off before he had even taken the reins as manager.
Speaking on TalkSPORT in 2021, one Newcastle fan suggested that the Magpies’ prospective new manager should focus on growing the academy and said they would like Howe to take up the role as manager.
Both Cundy and O’Hara laughed at that suggestion, with the latter saying: “The first Newcastle caller we get says academy investment and Eddie Howe”.
In sheer disbelief, Cundy added: “I know this is probably hard to understand and grasp, but you’re one of richest clubs in World football and you want Eddie Howe? No disrespect, I like Eddie Howe but come on, who do you want, come on.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder O’Hara has historically not been a fan of Howe since he took over as manager. In 2024, O’Hara questioned Howe’s future as Newcastle boss following a narrow defeat to Chelsea.
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Ever since Howe arrived in 2021 he has been out to show why he was the right person for the job and why Staveley was wrong to consider Unai Emery over him.
Like all managerial spells, there are highs and lows. Right now Newcastle is the highest it’s been for a long time, fans will ride this wave for the next two weeks, after Newcastle’s trophy parade and into April.
There’s no doubt that Howe has completely defied expectations and has done what many believed unthinkable just a few years ago – turn Newcastle into a team that’s consistently fighting for trophies and European spots.
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After the cup win, Newcastle can fully focus on the final nine games of the Premier League season and work towards the next goal of returning to the Champions League where a lucrative commercial payout awaits.
Howe will always have his fair share of doubters and critics, but all they need to do is look at where the club were before he arrived in comparison to how he has completely evolved the squad in his three-and-a-half years in charge.
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