HOWE THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN
Credit crunch at St James’ Park as Eddie stock takes another hit
EDDIE HOWE is getting the cosiest ride through a storm of any Newcastle manager in the last 30 years.
But credit, banked from a near two-year rise, is being eroded.
It’s hard to criticise the Newcastle boss after his fourthplaced finish last season, a cup final, and a first-phase rebuild for new Saudi owners.
Now the erratic nature of results, performances and levels of defending since early December could mean Howe is facing a battle to show the owners he is the man to lead phase two of the Toon’s transformation.
It’s not a good look to have your own crowd chanting for substitute Tino Livramento to come on. Dan Burn had been scorched for an hour by pacy winger Chiedozie Ogbene but was left out there to concede a penalty (below) and suffer. Where was the in-game tactical intervention to put Burn out of his misery before he conceded a penalty?
The home crowd had seen the problem in the first half and Livramento was better suited to shut it down.
Newcastle have conceded 10 goals in their last three home games.
They have leaked
15 goals in their last five league games. A blip becoming a trend?
Why? Howe blamed a loss of “athleticism” in a midfield missing injured Joelinton and Joe Willock.
“That’s not a criticism of the three players who played… our midfield dynamic looks different,” he said, saying they miss “the pace of Willock and the ballwinning abilities of Joelinton”.
Injures have played a big part in the slump of six defeats in nine league games, with two wins.
That is not the form which gets you back into Europe – probably top seven – and the very minimum the Saudis will want seven months after saying they wanted to “be No.1”. And neither is being smashed for four, by fourth-frombottom Luton.
Keeper Nick Pope is also unavailable with a dislocated shoulder. With Pope they conceded 19 goals in the first 21 games of the season until December 2.
With Martin Dubravka in goal they have leaked 26 goals in the last 13 games. Howe said: “We’ve picked up more injuries, we have lost key players. We can’t make excuses for that, but that is the reality.”
He is so well supported, any debate about him is prefaced by, ‘I rate Eddie Howe, but…’
Or, ‘I love Eddie Howe, however…’
Fans understand the mitigating factors. Increased workload, fatigue, more injuries, fewer impact players to freshen things up during games, and less time on the training ground.
But there has always been a strong first-choice XI available, and in several games they’ve been alarmingly vulnerable to opponents who break well.
Two-goal Sean Longstaff said: “We are a front-foot team and if you are a couple of yards off, it carries through the team.
“We should win this game. It has probably been the story of our season. A little bit up and down and a little bit inconsistent.”
Expectations are being lo and it feels like this summ be one of churn and a new r started.
How can Newcastle be so less against Aston Villa, b their best, then leak four g 41 minutes to be 4-2 behin
Howe added: “You compare two games, they different. You’re playing a di opponent and the pressure were different. The expec was there for us.”
At least Newcastle are s and entertaining. That’s 48 league this season, the fift haul.
NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Dubravka 4, 7, Schar 5, Botman 5, Burn 4 (Livram 65, 6), Longstaff 7, Guimaraes 7, Mile Murphy 6, Gordon 7 (Wilson 46, 5), A 6 (Barnes 63, 6)
LUTON (3-4-2-1): Kaminski 6, Osho Mengi 6, Bell 6, Ogbene 7, Sambi Lok Barkley 8, Doughty 6 (Burke 79), Cla (Mpanzu 68, 6), Morris 7 (Brown 79), Adebayo 7 (Woodrow 87)