Is Pressure Mounting on Howe After Newcastle’s Defeat?

The atmosphere at St James’ Park was electric as the home crowd rallied behind their team. Newcastle United’s skipper, Bruno Guimaraes, had just leveled the score at 2-2 against Brentford with a decisive penalty kick.

However, the Magpies were not satisfied with merely tying the match. Sandro Tonali retrieved the ball from the net to expedite the restart, with Guimaraes leading his energized teammates back into their own half. But was this going to be a memorable night for Newcastle?

Not at all. The fragile nature of the team was evident as they only managed to hold on to the equalizer for a mere few minutes before Dango Ouattara struck again for Brentford, taking advantage of poor defensive play.

The home fans were left in disbelief as Newcastle succumbed to a disappointing 3-2 loss. One frustrated supporter even approached the back of the dugout during the latter stages, demanding that head coach Eddie Howe “sort it out,” before a chorus of boos erupted at full-time.

As a result, Newcastle now finds itself sitting in 12th place in the Premier League, with Howe appearing visibly disheartened after the match. Is he feeling the heat?

“I consistently feel pressure,” the Newcastle head coach remarked. The team has managed just one victory in their last eight matches across all competitions.

“The nature of the pressure doesn’t concern me,” Howe added. “In this role, you are always faced with the pressure to win or to turn around poor results. We are certainly feeling that right now.”

“I often say that the pressure I impose on myself is immense because I expect very high standards from my performance, my work ethic, and what I demand from the players. Clearly, I am not executing my role effectively at the moment.”

Howe has faced challenging times in the past. He took the reins of a struggling team in 2021 and only managed to secure one win in his first ten outings.

There was an embarrassing FA Cup elimination at the hands of Cambridge United during that period, coinciding with Kieran Trippier’s debut for the club. Now, over four years later, Trippier has stated he takes “full responsibility” for his part in the build-up to each of Brentford’s goals.

“This isn’t about the manager,” Trippier explained. “We are accountable for our performances. The manager lays out the plan, and we strive to implement it. I won’t shift blame onto him.”

Nevertheless, the recent months have likely been the most arduous for Howe during his tenure, both on and off the pitch, with the difficulties tracing back to the summer transfer window.

Newcastle operated without a sporting director and missed out on several primary targets, including Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro, and James Trafford, while top scorer Alexander Isak sought a transfer to Liverpool.

Howe had considerable influence over recruitment, yet Newcastle ended up spending over £250 million on Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Elanga, Malick Thiaw, Yoane Wissa, and Nick Woltemade, in addition to securing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on loan.

It was noteworthy that only two of these new signings—Thiaw and Wissa—started against Brentford. Wissa had a chance cleared off the line when the team was up 1-0, but he left the field to jeers of “what a waste of money” from the away supporters after his substitution.

Since his debut in December, Wissa has netted just three goals, while Woltemade has only found the back of the net once during the same timeframe.

Alan Shearer, the club’s all-time leading scorer, acknowledged the team’s struggles but insisted that Howe is “not under pressure.”

“The summer signings, with the exception of Malick Thiaw, have fallen short of expectations and have not performed at a high level,” said Shearer, a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day. “They haven’t justified the investment made in them so far, which has impeded Howe.”

“Like any manager, improvements are necessary, and they must find a way to turn things around, but in regards to his job security? Absolutely not.”

Howe’s reputation remains strong, having ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy less than a year ago and steering the team to Champions League qualification in both 2025 and 2023.

His influence has earned him the respect of chief executive David Hopkinson and newly appointed sporting director Ross Wilson, who have quickly established a rapport with him, emphasizing the importance of unity behind the scenes amidst turmoil at other clubs.

There is an understanding that the squad is in a transitional phase following a tumultuous summer. Additionally, it is recognized that the highly involved Howe has had limited training time with his players and has dealt with fatigue and injuries during a demanding season.

Newcastle has a solid opportunity to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League and faces Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round next week. However, the current season appears to be unraveling at a rapid pace.

No team has squandered more points from winning positions in the league than Newcastle, with 19 points lost. Howe’s squad has achieved only three victories in away games across all competitions this season and has lost three of their last four matches at St James’ Park.

They are as close to the relegation zone as they are to the top five. These disheartening statistics come at a time when Hopkinson reaffirmed his belief that Newcastle will compete for significant honors by 2030.

Howe is acutely aware that he must ignite a turnaround swiftly. “I need to enhance my efforts, do more, and take complete accountability for everything displayed on the field,” he stated.

“I must devise solutions. That responsibility lies with me, as well as the players. I need to encourage them to be brutally honest with themselves and evaluate their performance against their peak capabilities at this current moment. I believe many of them cannot confidently assert they are performing at their best, which indicates we have room for improvement.”