'Who knows?': Eddie Howe addresses speculation on his Newcastle United future after run of poor results
The question marks over Eddie Howe's Newcastle United future have started to grow again after the Magpies were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate.
It was a hefty defeat for Eddie Howe's team and it came off the back of battering at Anfield just days before, so naturally, with tensions running high, talk has turned to whether Eddie Howe is the right man to lead the club forward or whether he's reached his ceiling.
While the pressure is coming purely from the outside, Eddie Howe must realise that he's in a results-driven game, and eventually the Newcastle United board may start to get a bit twitchy if there are no signs of improvement.
I went on a bit of an anti-Howe rant earlier in the week when the red mist was clouding my brain, but I've since taken a step bac,k and I feel that he's probably still doing the best he can with what he's got to work with. His squad is crumbling, they're playing too much football and the covering players simply aren't at the same level as the first-team choices. He's also not got time to do proper training sessions, so he's stuck trying to get them to play a system that isn't working because he doesn't have time to change it.
It's business as usual for Eddie Howe
That being said, these excuses can't save him forever; I'm fully aware of that. However, when asked about the speculation on his future during Friday morning's press conference, Howe seemed unfazed.
"That's a surprise to me. I give my best to the football club every single day, to all the players and the staff. I try to be the best version of myself to inspire the team to win games.
"That's my only thought. I don't tend to look too far ahead, but I try to prepare and plan for the club to move forward in every sense. My individual future isn't really relevant.
"Who knows? I don't know my length of time here, I've got no idea. I just try to do my best every day until told differently."
Is is time for Eddie Howe to go?
Does Howe still have time at Newcastle United?
It's a typical answer from Howe, not giving anything away and skirting the question like a politician.
Saturday will be the true test of where we are in terms of how the fans feel about Howe. On Wednesday, despite being 3-0 down, the travelling fans were singing his name. If he's still being serenaded at St James' Park, you can read into that what you will, but we'd suggest he still has the support of the fanbase overall.
There's still time to vote in our poll, let us know how you feel about Eddie Howe's immediate future.
