Newcastle is faltering, but why is Eddie Howe still worth trusting?

Newcastle United had a season that was far from convincing. Position in the middle of the standings Premier League and a series of disappointing results made Eddie Howe’s seat begin to be questioned by some supporters. However, looking at the coach’s journey in the last four and a half years, it is difficult to ignore the fact that he has taken this club through the darkest times to one of the best periods in their modern history.

Eddie Howe himself openly admitted that he would resign if he felt he was no longer the right person to advance the club. This statement came after the defeat to Brentford, when he said he had not worked well enough and had to do more. It was a rare moment where the coach who was known to be calm showed his emotions in public.

What’s Wrong With Newcastle This Season?

The debate among Newcastle supporters is quite pronounced. There are those who think Howe is still the right person to take the club further, but there are also those who feel his approach is starting to lose steam.

The victory over Tottenham was not enough to lift their position from 10th in the standings. Newcastle are eight points behind the top five and four points adrift of the top seven with 12 games remaining. In the derby match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, they were unable to provide any significant resistance. Throughout this season, Newcastle has not once beaten a team in the top seven.

In the league, the main problem lies in consistency. They have only scored 37 goals and have conceded the same number. A total of 19 points were lost from a leading position, the most in the Premier League this season. Newcastle also had difficulty turning things around after falling behind early.

This situation is reminiscent of the start of last season before the big comeback in December 2024. At that time, the 1-3 defeat to Brentford was the turning point that sparked a nine-game winning streak and led to the club’s best season in a century as well as its first domestic trophy in 70 years.

However, this season there are no signs of a similar surge in performance. The intense pressing system that used to be a characteristic has not been running consistently. On the front line, there is no regular goal scorer. Yoane Wissa has scored just one league goal, while Nick Woltemade is yet to score in 12 games in all competitions after a promising start to the season.

Summer 2025 recruitment is also not entirely successful. Malick Thiaw performed quite well, but Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey have not lived up to expectations, although both showed improvement in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.

A Track Record That’s Hard to Ignore

Despite the mounting pressure, Howe’s track record at Newcastle gives strong reason to keep the faith. He arrived in November 2021 when the club were bottom of the table without a win in 10 games and five points adrift of safety, after 17 years of Mike Ashley ownership and the dismal end of the Steve Bruce era.

The season finished in 12th place thanks to key signings such as Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes. In the following season, after the arrival of Alexander Isak, Newcastle shot to fourth place and reached the League Cup final. The previously shaky defense turned into one of the best with just 33 goals conceded, the club’s best record in the league.

The following season was disrupted by injury, but productivity increased with 85 league goals, Newcastle’s highest total in a Premier League season. In his best full season, Howe delivered the Carabao Cup after beating Liverpool in the final and taking Newcastle back to the Champions League group stages for the third time this century.

This season is also not free from difficult situations. Alexander Isak forced his way out, sporting director Paul Mitchell left before the transfer window began, and a hurricane of injuries hit the squad. However, Newcastle only need one more win to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, with Qarabag their next opponents. In the league, the opportunity to finish in seventh position is still open, which can still be considered a respectable result.

Each season under Howe brought a new achievement or record of its own. Therefore, even though this season is not going smoothly, there are rational reasons to give him time. If they are able to get through this difficult period, it is not impossible for Newcastle to find momentum again with a coach who has proven to bring big changes at St James’ Park.

Premier League standings