Toon hero: Howe must get results
EDDIE Howe has been warned he will not be afforded a lot of time to deliver results by Newcastle United’s new owners.
That is the view of Magpies legend Rob Lee, who believes the former Bournemouth boss is a good appointment but fears the expectations on Tyneside are now “massive” following the takeover.
Howe was appointed in November following a lengthy recruitment process to identify Steve Bruce’s successor in the St James’ Park dugout.
The 44-year-old earned his first victory in charge at the fourth time of asking with Saturday’s 1-0 win over his former club Burnley.
That precious victory came after home draws with Brentford and Norwich City, as well as leading the Magpies to a defeat at Arsenal.
The immediate focus for Newcastle is on securing Premier League survival, with a host of potential transfer targets linked with a January switch.
However, Magpies co-owner Amanda Staveley has outlined the consortium’s vision to lead the club to the division’s summit and break into Europe’s elite within the next decade.
Lee reckons this ambition coupled with United’s newfound wealth will leave Howe with precious little margin for error when it comes to delivering success on Tyneside.
The former Entertainer has lamented the lack of time afforded to managers in the modern game, and used the example of two-time Magpies boss Kevin Keegan as an example of someone who would have delivered greater success in the long term.
“Eddie Howe is a good appointment for Newcastle. He’ll find out Newcastle is a huge club, that’s no disrespect to Bournemouth or Burnley,” said Lee, who won 21 caps for England in the 1990s.
“With the money they’ve got now, the expectations will be massive and he isn’t going to get a lot of time. We just don’t know. The days of an Alex Ferguson doing 20-plus years are long, long gone.
“I’ve always said if [Kevin] Keegan would have stayed at Newcastle, as long as Sir Alex did at Man United, Newcastle would have won stuff – and Newcastle would still be up there now.
“But clubs change managers so quickly and sometimes it’s not the manager’s fault.”