Newcastle United supporters' response to CEO's three-word message said everything
Newcastle United supporters showed their appreciation for head coach Eddie Howe following a comment from new CEO David Hopkinson.
Newcastle United chief executive officer David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson addressed supporters at the We Are United event at St James’ STACK on Monday evening.
The Newcastle chiefs were asked various things about the club, the stadium, sponsorship and of course transfers.
There were some positive updates with Hopkinson discussing the implementation of a ‘world-class strategy’ to help Newcastle become one of the leading clubs on the planet. But there was also some brutal honesty regarding the future of the stadium with Hopkinson admitting the club ‘are not ready’ to make a decision and aren’t close to making one any time soon.
Of course, actions will always speak louder than words and there was one action from those in attendance that said everything about the appreciation supporters have for head coach Eddie Howe.
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David Hopkinson asked about Eddie Howe
It’s been a remarkable year for Newcastle and Howe in particular. After guiding the club to a first domestic trophy in 70 years, the Newcastle was hospitalised with pneumonia before returning to help secure Champions League qualification.
The highs of the first part of 2025 were halted by a trying summer transfer window which saw the club embroiled in a saga involving Alexander Isak and Liverpool. The Magpies eventually agreed to sell their top scorer for a Premier League record £130million fee.
The summer and subsequent injuries have taken their toll in the opening months of the new season with Newcastle sitting 13th after 13 matches. Consecutive 3-1 defeats at West Ham United and Brentford started to put some pressure on Howe, with his team selection and players questioned.
Amid signs of a potential turnaround, a statement from Hopkinson during the event prompted a clear show of support from the fans in attendance.
When asked about Howe, Hopkinson said: “Eddie is special.”
That statement alone prompted a huge round of applause from the supporters watching on. While Howe seems to divide opinion on social media at times, the in-person response was palpable. A 4-1 win at Everton a couple of days beforehand always helps too.
Hopkinson added: “My job is to help Eddie succeed in his job. Eddie's special and also he's a human being, and that means he's only got so many cycles in the game.
“I want to, wherever possible, take stuff off his plate.”
That prompted Wilson to interject: “And put it on mine!”
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Ross Wilson’s relationship with Eddie Howe
Newcastle have not had much luck with sporting directors in recent years with Dan Ashworth and Paul Mitchell only making it through one full season in the high-profile role.
It was well documented that Mitchell and Howe didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things after Newcastle’s transfer strategy was publicly criticised and questioned by the then-new sporting director.
But Wilson’s approach has so far been more tactful as he looks to build up a strong working relationship with The Magpies’ boss.
“We didn't know each other so well,” Wilson admitted. “I was at Southampton and we came across each other when [Howe] was at Bournemouth.
“We've always kept in touch in a football context. We didn’t know each other brilliantly so we're still forming that relationship but it’s really good.
“I think it is really important, not that we've got a friendly relationship, if we have, great, if we become friends, great. But a constructive relationship where we feel aligned, we feel ready to challenge each other, we feel ready to share.