Former Newcastle United boss calls for support for 'super manager' Eddie Howe as pressure intensifies
A former Newcastle United manager has discussed Eddie Howe's future at St James Park.
Former Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton believes Eddie Howe has experienced a ‘disappointing end to the season’ - but stressed the Magpies must support their current boss during the summer transfer window.
Howe’s future at St James Park has been the subject of ongoing speculation after his side struggled to build on last season’s Carabao Cup win and Champions League qualification during what has been a season of struggle on Tyneside.
Although there was progress into the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and the knockout stages of the Champions League, Howe’s men are heading into the final weeks of the campaign looking nervously over their shoulders at the Premier League relegation zone.
Ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle are eight points clear of the bottom three and although it is unlikely they will be sucked into the relegation battle, one win from their final four games would ease any minor concern over their Premier League status. Hughton, who guided Newcastle to their Championship title win in 2010 before being harshly sacked months into the Premier League season, described Howe as ‘a super manager’ and called on the St James Park hierarchy to support him personally and in the transfer market during the summer months.
He told talkSPORT: “He has done such a wonderful job there for the period, if you take the period of time as a whole. It’s very, very difficult unless you’re a (Manchester) City, a Liverpool or a (Manchester) United. We know the restraints they’ve had and we know the Isak story earlier in the season, how that happened and it’s very difficult to keep those levels going season-after-season.
“It’s been a disappointing end to the season for him - but I think he’s such a super manager and he’s done such a good job overall. I just hope in the summer he gets the support I think he needs and when I say support I mean personally - but also the support in the team. If it’s a club that wants to be challenging for Champions League every year, then they have to recruit that way.”