Journalist now claims that Newcastle couldn't sack Eddie Howe even if they wanted to

There have been times this season when the calls for Eddie Howe to be booted out of Newcastle United were louder than a whisper.

To say that there's a growing movement of #HoweOut members would be akin to saying there's a growing movement of hair follicles on my face. It's happening, but really, it's so slow that it's not worth even thinking about until it becomes an issue.

That hasn't stopped the media from using that tiny minority as a jumping-off point to create stories about the Newcastle board weighing up their options.

Jose Mourinho's name has been mentioned so many times I sometimes forget he's not actually our manager.

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Newcastle can't afford to sack Eddie Howe

However, one journalist has now shared what he's been told recently about Eddie Howe and his future at Newcastle.

ESPN reporter Mark Ogden told the Football Daily Podcast that Newcastle are in the same boat as Chelsea are with Mauricio Pochettino.

“I was told about a month ago that the reason both [Mauricio] Pochettino and Eddie Howe are safe unless something dramatic happens, is because both clubs have posted such big losses they can’t afford to sack a manager, pay up, appoint a new guy and pay his compensation.

“You’re talking £20-25m, and in an era when clubs need to keep their losses small, they can’t afford to get rid.”

Howe has done nothing to deserve the boot

Given the insane season Newcastle have had with their big summer signing whacked with a 10-month ban just 12 games into the season and all of the injuries we've had, the fact that Eddie Howe still has us in with a shout of qualifying for Europe is nothing short of miraculous.

As we always say, we're not ever saying that Howe hasn't made mistakes or that we don't question some of his decisions, but overall, he's done and continues to do a fantastic job, especially with the restrictions and bad luck that he's had to work under this season.

For us it's not a case of whether or not we could afford to sack him, it's that he simply doesn't deserve to be let go. We will even stand by that if we fail to secure European football. It just isn't fair to judge him on this season, especially after what he did in the 18 months prior.