Keith Wyness: Newcastle would be making ‘huge mistake’ sacking Eddie Howe
Newcastle United would be making a “huge mistake” if they decide to sack Eddie Howe following their inconsistent form this season.
That is according to former Everton, Aston Villa and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, who exclusively told Football Insider Howe is a “great manager” and should be given more time at St James’ Park.
Newcastle secured a 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Tuesday (10 February), with Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey scoring either side of Archie Gray’s equaliser.
Howe had come under pressure in the build-up to the game after his side were on a run of three straight defeats in the Premier League.
However, the victory over Spurs has seen the Magpies move up to 10th in the top-flight table as they look to secure a European place again this season.
Newcastle ‘problem’ identfied amid Eddie Howe sack speculation
Howe has been widely praised for his work at St James’ Park since being appointed as Newcastle manager in November 2021.
The north-east giants have qualified for the Champions League twice in the past three campaigns, while they lifted the Carabao Cup last season.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness discussed the prospect of Newcastle sacking Howe.
“Well, if they do, it’d be a huge mistake,” said Wyness.
“I think they’ve got to stick with him and I think Eddie Howe is a great manager. I’ve got the highest respect for him and I think he will get things resolved.
“The problem as much as anything is the backdrop again of PIF and a new CEO coming in who’s promising the world.”
Why Newcastle owners must resolve ‘big issue’ immediately
Wyness insisted there are bigger issues at play for Newcastle as their owners – the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) – aims to deliver on its ambitions plans.
“The reality is that there’s some big issues like the stadium project and all those things that they haven’t made an announcement about,” said Wyness.
“We’ve been talking about that for over a year now and they’re saying they still haven’t decided what they’re going to do, and they’re still working on it day by day.
“That seems a bit hard to believe in terms of the amount of time and effort that’s been put into it, and we know that they were almost ready to announce a particular project about six months ago, so we’ve got to see where it is.”
Howe is now preparing his side to take on Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Villa Park on Saturday (14 February).
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