Shock as national news outlet reports common sense around Eddie Howe's situation

We said yesterday that a lot of the noise surrounding Eddie Howe's shaky future has been coming from sources far removed from the club.

Today has seen one national newspaper actually write something sensible about Newcastle United and the future of Eddie Howe and in a world where we tend to focus more on negativity, we thought it was worth highlighting the report in The Mirror which actually presents a balanced view of things.

The report does mention how clubs with foreign owners have been very quick to wield the axe when things haven't gone exactly to plan, and that's where a lot of these reports suggesting Howe is on borrowed time are getting their inspiration from, no doubt.

Newcastle are two years ahead of schedule thanks to Howe

However, The Mirror then goes on to explain how the PIF and the other co-owners came into Newcastle and laid out a five-year plan and last season Eddie Howe guided the Magpies to a position two years ahead of schedule.

Victoria Jones via PA

While that doesn't make him bulletproof by any means, it sure as hell buys him a lot of goodwill.

So after a shaky start to this season in which Howe has taken a team into the Champions League for the first time ever, whilst a lot of his key players have been out injured and his big summer signing has been suspended, it's not really fair to judge him too much on the poor results.

Sacking managers after a blip sets a dangerous precedent

Had he had a full squad to pick from every game and the results and performances were the same, then sure, he may well be on thin ice, but as things stand, for anyone connected to the club, Howe, while there's no doubt he has work to do, is not at risk yet.

Sacking him now after all he's done and with so much of what's gone wrong this season being out of his control would set a very dangerous precedent and could put off a world-class manager from taking the job down the line.

So yes, while Howe is not infallible and certainly isn't immune to criticism, it's absolutely not the right time to be thinking about a change.