‘Things aren’t right’ – Richard Keys drops Eddie Howe sack prediction after what he’s seen as Newcastle
Eddie Howe could be running out of time as Newcastle United manager after his team’s latest Premier League defeat.
Nuno Espirito Santo led West Ham to a shock win over Newcastle on Sunday, 2 November, a result which was made all the more surprising after Jacob Murphy netted the opener at the London Stadium.
Alan Shearer called out Newcastle’s performance, with Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek goals sandwiching an own goal from Sven Botman, leaving them 13th in the Premier League table.
The Magpies showed promise of battling for a top-four spot yet again, but with Champions League football also a major focus this season, supporters are becoming extremely frustrated.
Eddie Howe given until the end of the season by Richard Keys
After Alexander Isak’s departure to Liverpool, which took up a lot of the headlines over the summer, Howe’s side appear to have completely lost focus, and now Richard Keys has dropped a bombshell on the manager’s future.
Writing via his personal blog (3 November), Keys said: “Things aren’t right at Newcastle, are they? The Saudi project has clearly stalled, and Eddie Howe looks tired to me.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if this is his last season with the Toon. Watch this space,” a decision which would bring an end to his four-year-long reign at St James’ Park, just one season after lifting silverware.
Football Insider understands that Howe is under no immediate pressure at Newcastle, but the hierarchy will be hoping to get back to winning ways very quickly
What did the Newcastle United boss say after the West Ham loss?
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Howe said, “I don’t think it looked like a Newcastle team that we’ve seen in recent seasons,” sounding extremely disappointed by the performance.
He continued: “I think the body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things that contribute to our performance, weren’t there.
“I don’t think that was tactical, and I don’t think that was necessarily technical. It was a by-product of us just not being where we needed to be mentally.”
The manager will be expecting a huge bounce-back against Athletic Club on Wednesday, 5 November, with the hope of getting back to winning ways after their three-game win streak came to an end.