Howe ready to swing the axe
NEWCASTLE legend Steve Howey lived through one Toon revolution and he’s warned the current crop of players at St James’ Park to brace themselves for casualties during the next one.
The club’s Saudi owners handed head coach Eddie Howe a £100million transfer kitty in the New Year and will splash out a similar amount this summer as the Magpies bid to become one of the world’s biggest clubs.
For Howey, it brings back memories of the time 25 years ago when Kevin Keegan transformed Newcastle from Championship strugglers into the Premier League ‘Entertainers’.
He was one of the lucky ones, thriving under Keegan despite the club investing millions on new talent.
But he still remembers the exodus of team-mates who were deemed surplus to requirements as the Magpies shifted through the gears.
And he is expecting a similar cull as Howe builds a squad designed to challenge at the top of the table rather than fight for survival.
“If you want to be one of the chosen few, you have to perform – and even then it might not be enough,” said Howey, who spent 11 years at Newcastle.
“Looking back to my time, David Kelly scored a hat-trick on the last day of the season against Leicester and was then sold.
“Gavin Peacock did a great job in the 1992-93 promotion season but then lost his place when Andy Cole came in.
“Lee Clark was Player of the Year but within a year or two the writing was on the wall for him when he lost the No.10 shirt.
“Football can be a brutal business and, as a few current players will find out, there’s little sentiment around.
“Sometimes, as in the case of Kelly and Peacock all those years ago, it’s, ‘Thanks for your service, away you go’!” Skipper Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey, Karl Darlow and one or two others have been around since Newcastle won promotion under Rafa Benitez in 2017.
But none can be certain of being in Howe’s squad next season.
Howey added: “Kevin Keegan was always looking to make Newcastle bigger and better and it’s a very similar situation now. “That makes quite a few players vulnerable.
“Take Lascelles for example. He’s been a great servant but has struggled to regain his place.
“The lad is captain and a top pro who won’t want to upset the applecart, but I’m sure he’ll be having talks with the manager to see where he stands.
“Unless you are one of the best footballers in the world, there is always someone out there better than you. And Newcastle’s philosophy now, as it was in the 90s, is to try and get them.”
Howey believes that if a few Toon stalwarts do leave at the end of the season, they’ll always be remembered fondly.
He said: “They’ve all played their part in the revival. Like Peacock and Kelly, they’ve done what was asked of them – and more.
“And they will leave with the undying gratitude of the fans for their service to
Newcastle.”