Outspoken talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan knows Eddie Howe, has enjoyed a lengthy interview with the Newcastle United boss and seen the rapid success at St James’ Park in recent years. Yet he still holds doubts over whether the current St James’ Park chief will be around long into the future.
After all, we are *only* three and a half years into the Howe project on Tyneside. The result? A likely relegation avoided, Champions League football unexpectedly returned, two cup finals reached in the just three years and another exciting European tilt lined up in the coming months.
Yet Jordan, with his infinite wisdom, cannot shake the feeling Howe is nothing but a temporary placeholder until a bigger name becomes available. It is a lazy and dated piece of analysis that belongs back in 2021.
“I’ve always said, and I don’t make any apologies for this, I said this to him when I spoke to him, is that I’ve always felt [Howe] is the gatekeeper,” the former Crystal Palace owner said this week.
Jordan added: “Ultimately, it’s very unlikely that the lofty ambitions of the Saudis, who didn’t buy Newcastle so they can win the League Cup, they want to win the Premier League and Champions League.
“They will take the League Cup in the meantime because it will mean so much to the fans… But is he going to win something for Newcastle? Maybe he will win the League Cup on the weekend but I don’t see Newcastle [winning trophies] not because of Howe but because of the restrictions put upon their ability to spend.”
It should be said Jordan goes on to back Howe for the England job in the near future – but the fact remains that he is totally wrong when it comes to the Newcastle boss’ current standing within the corridors of St James’ Park.
Amanda Staveley wanted the young coach to become Newcastle’s own Sir Alex Ferguson, sporting director Paul Mitchell has labelled him an ‘elite professional’ and just last week CEO Darren Eales remarked: “From our perspective we are obviously super pleased we have got Eddie as our coach. We feel really good. We look forward with excitement.”
Meanwhile, ending the club’s trophy hoodoo will undoubtedly see Howe’s credit in the bank skyrocket even further.
Many, like Jordan, believed the former Bournemouth manager would be tasked with saving Newcastle from the drop in 2021/22 before the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund [PIF], with their majority stake in the club, looked for a coach capable of providing regular European football. However, Howe never personally held that view.
There was a personal belief internally that he could not only steady the ship but begin to formulate a plan for the future. Hard work and intricate coaching behind the scenes, rather than millions spent, saw vast improvement in the likes of Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar.
While Howe, in collaboration with his recruitment colleagues, has overseen an overwhelmingly positive period of spending. Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall are now seen as the future of this football club – and should they unfortunately leave all will command significantly higher fees than initially purchased for.
There has also been personal growth from Howe. He is an infinitely better manager now than when he arrived in the north east. He has experienced big European nights and the preparation those games entail. He has led a team to fourth-place well ahead of schedule. And he has never shied away from facing the bigger sides.
“If they want a quick game, we’ll f***** give it to them,” he cried in the home dressing room after Erik ten Hag’s previous digs. Newcastle, under Howe’s leadership, has beaten all the big boys at least once – apart from Liverpool.
This Sunday is the perfect chance to rectify that particular blip, to silence the doubters, and to further prove that he is the man to lead Newcastle into a bright future.
Hundreds of fans from all over the globe have been leaving personalised messages for Eddie Howe and his players ahead of the Carabao Cup final. You can send your own message of support here through our Cheer Map
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/simon-jordan-gets-wrong-eddie-31191825
