Eddie Howe is a ‘good appointment’ but Newcastle United must be ‘realistic’ in their expectations - according to former Liverpool and Watford player John Barnes

It has been over two weeks since Steve Bruce was sacked by the club and following a whole host of managers being linked with the role, it appears as though Newcastle have finally settled on their man.

The announcement yesterday that former Bournemouth and Burnley boss Howe was ‘close’ to agreeing a deal with Newcastle came following a turbulent week that saw Emery poised to take over, before opting to stay at Villareal.

Barnes believes that this was a ‘blow’ for Newcastle but that they need to be ‘realistic’ with their expectations on the calibre of manager and players they can attract:

“Missing out on Emery was a blow for Newcastle after the euphoria of the takeover. Things were never all of a sudden going to be rosy.” Barnes told BonusCodeBets.

“The best players and managers aren’t going to go to Newcastle. This is obviously a long-term project and in years to come they will get better and be where they want to be.

“But it’s going to be a hard year or two for them. They can’t buy the best players straight away, so they have to be realistic. Maybe they were thinking that after the new ownership all the top managers would want to come to Newcastle, but that’s not going to be the case.

“They have to try and stay up this season - they’re second from bottom and are going to be in a relegation dogfight. They’re not going to get the best players in January because they’re going to think ‘as much as this could be good for the future, for the next year or two do I want to be at Newcastle?’”

So, what does Barnes make of Howe and is he forecasting success for Newcastle’s new manager?

“Eddie Howe would be a good appointment. But more importantly the team needs togetherness and belief and the fans behind them.

“They’re not suddenly going to be the best team in the league because Steve Bruce is gone.

“They have an issue, and that issue isn’t going to turn around overnight. They have to stick with whoever they get and not be disappointed if they don’t get their first choice.”

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