Eddie Howe leaves Newcastle United sitting firmly alongside the pantheon of the club’s all-time managerial greats.

Tyneside is in shock. Eddie Howe has left Newcastle United. Just hours earlier at Ashton Gate, he appeared to unwittingly write his own epitaph.

"Every day that I'm Newcastle manager is a great day for me,” Howe told reporters. “I absolutely love the football club and that will never change."

It ultimately proved to be his last. And wow, what a ride it was.

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In leaving the Magpies, Howe does so as a bona fide club legend. Delivering Newcastle’s first major domestic trophy for 70 years places him on the same pedestal as Joe Harvey, Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson.

For those under the age of 30 - and can only just remember the tail-end of Sir Bobby’s tenure - he is undoubtedly the best Newcastle manager they have seen. For context, only the great King Kev boasts a better Premier League win percentage than Howe.

The timing is sensational. Newcastle backed Howe at the end of the campaign, sold Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali - with Bruno Guimaraes likely to follow suit.

They are just 24 days from the beginning of the top-flight season. But hose questions can wait.

It is time to pay tribute to one of Newcastle’s modern-day greats. A man who took the Magpies from certain relegation to two Champions League qualifications and that elusive trophy.

Rarely has St James’ Park witnessed football as intense as the swashbuckling 2022-23 campaign. Howe weaponised the feel-good factor to lead Newcastle back into the big time in his first full season at the helm.

The early cracks began to show the following year. Injuries mounted, with Howe struggling to cope with the added European demands. PSR also started to tighten its grip.

But he weathered the storm to finish seventh - before taking Newcastle on their most magical modern journey. This time, Howe married Champions League qualification with a famous Wembley triumph over Liverpool.

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Newcastle icon status ensued. Freedom of the City followed. At that moment, he was the captain of a black-and-white ship on the ascendancy.

Fast forward to the present day and that team has been ripped apart. Howe is the last to jump overboard, bearing the scars of a 12th-placed finish and a project on its knees.

His legacy is set in stone. Howe will undoubtedly never have to buy a pint - although he was never the biggest drinker - in Newcastle again. Thank you, Eddie Howe, for giving Newcastle United your stellar best and providing memories that will last a lifetime.

Your next Newcastle United read: Eddie Howe dropped major Newcastle United departure hint that no one picked up on - until now