Eddie Howe reacts to news that Bradford City boss Graham Alexander used to dislike him at Burnley
Newcastle United take on Bradford City at St James' Park tonight in the third round of the Carabao Cup live on Sky Sports Plus - Kick-off is 7:45pm.
The two managers are not strangers to each other, as both were at Burnley when Eddie Howe took over as boss at Turf Moor for a brief period.
Graham Alexander was still a player at that time, although he was 39 years old. However, Alexander was the captain of the side under the outgoing boss, so he probably thought his place was safe.
One of the first things Eddie Howe did when he took over was to rejig the squad to give it a younger look, which meant Alexander was dropped from the starting XI, something he now says he didn't handle very well.
Graham Alexander said he didn't like Eddie Howe during their time at Burnley
Indeed, in a recent interview, Alexander stated that he didn't particularly like Eddie Howe at the time, and he felt that Howe didn't like him, but as he's got older and moved into management, he understands now what Howe had to do.
However, this came as a surprise to Howe, as he said he had no issue with Graham Alexander.
"I really like Graham, so that's news to me."
Eddie Howe was as diplomatic as ever
Howe went on to elaborate on the situation and said that he is not surprised that Alexander ended up going down the management route.
"It was a difficult situation. I was very young coming into a new club and part of my brief at Burnley was to try and change the side into a younger looking team in a new direction.
"Burnley's squad at the time was heavy with experienced players having just come out of the Premier League. So it was a period of change really.
"Graham, I could see from the outset, was an absolute winner with his mindset. He wanted to do everything and play every game.
"Possibly looking back it was a learning experience for me. I didn't play him enough and I should have played him more.
"I’m always very honest with my critique of myself. I made some mistakes early in my time at Burnley where maybe I should have trusted the experienced players a little bit more, but as I said, part of my brief was to take the club into a new era with a younger team.
"But in terms of his professionalism and how he conducted himself, he was absolutely top drawer.
"I always learn from the experienced players, especially when I was a younger coach because they were older than me. So I had no issues with him, a top professional and top player.
"It's no surprise to me that he's gone into management because he had those qualities even then. He was a big leader within the group, set the standards, and it’s great to see him doing so well. I'm really pleased for him."
