Alan Shearer stands behind Eddie Howe but admits there are things he needs to do to keep NUFC ticking

There are a lot of people questioning what's next for Newcastle United after a torrid first third of the season. There are those who want a change in the dugout, some who want to see the current boss turn it around and then the rest simply don't know what the answer is.

Eddie Howe appears to be losing his once solid grip on the Toon Army and the fans are starting to question whether he's the right man to take the side to the next level.

It's a valid question after such a stop-start season so far and the fact that the gaffer seems reluctant to change his system to fit the players he has is a huge issue for many.

However, there are also those who remember the miracles he pulled off in his first 18 months and still believe he can do something like that again.

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Alan Shearer isn't ready to turn his back on Eddie Howe just yet

Newcastle hero Alan Shearer has kept the faith despite being a vocal critic of the club this season, and he wrote in The Athletic that he believes Howe can get things back on track.

"I don’t have any doubts about Howe still being the right man for Newcastle

"He can and should lead the team forward. After what he has done, not just pulling the team away from relegation and then straight into the Champions League, but in the way he has set standards and built an identity, he deserves time and patience.

"He needs support, because that identity is blurring. I don’t think there’s the mood — or the money — to make a change.

"Give it 10 days and three brilliant victories and I’ll be singing a different tune but, as things stand, it feels like inconsistency is baked in.

"However good they might think they are, players must run to exhaustion every game. Howe must find a way to get past Leicester and Brentford, because that keeps the season alive and quietens the noise."

Newcastle have three winnable games in a row coming up

Newcastle host Leicester City on Saturday followed by a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Brentford at St James' Park with Ipswich the following week.

All three of those games are winnable, despite the hiding we got from Brentford at the weekend. A cup exit on home soil could just be the straw that breaks the camel's back for a lot of people, however.

We're trying to keep the faith, and like Shearer, we'll be singing a different tune if we put together three wins in the next ten days, but should that not happen we dread to think what that atmosphere is going to be like around Newcastle heading into Christmas.