- Tony Pulis defends Eddie Howe
- Ex-Premier League coach points out Newcastle’s success
- English manager has been under pressure recently
Newcastle United have seven games left to turn their season around as they look to continue in Europe next season. Dan Burn previously expressed his desire for the Magpies to at least qualify for the Conference League.
Eddie Howe has received a lot of criticism from the Toon Army for how his side have faltered in recent defeats to Barcelona and Sunderland. A 7-2 thrashing to the Spaniards at Camp Nou was then followed by a shock 2-1 home loss in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Former Premier League manager Tony Pulis has come to Howe’s and pointed out how he’s turned the Tyneside outfit around. He alluded to the precarious situation the club found itself in when the English coach arrived back in November 2021.
Pulis: Moaning and Groaning
On The Managers Podcast, the 68-year-old said that Howe had propelled a relegation-battling side into European qualification contenders. The former West Bromwich Albion boss said:
“He’s actually taken over a club that was in the bottom, was looking as though they were going to fight against relegation.”
The club’s fanbase is split over the future of the English boss, with some arguing the season has been a massive failure, while others believe the lack of planning has been Howe’s downfall.
Pulis seems to be in the latter with him praising Howe for the things he’s achieved on Tyneside:
“Not only the League Cup, they’ve qualified for the Champions League for two years as well, since Eddie’s been there.”
Since the 48-year-old’s appointment, Newcastle have qualified for Europe twice. The last time they were in Europe before that was during the 2012-13 Europa League campaign. Their last Champions League season before that was in 2003.
Howe also delivered them their first trophy in 2025 and came close earlier, but they were beaten in the 2023 Carabao Cup final by Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United.
Pulis believes he still has the support of a large part of the fanbase, but it’s a cultural thing in English football to see hate directed at him.
“I think the majority of Newcastle supporters actually adore Eddie Howe. I think they are absolutely delighted with what he’s done at the football club and will back him”.
He continued.
“But the people who are moaning and groaning, really, they’re everywhere. It’s not just in Newcastle; they are all around the country. And like I say, they’re people who, never mind what you give them, they’ll never be happy.”
Newcastle European football push still on
Newcastle’s defeat to the Black Cats at St James’ Park prior to the international will have been a spanner in the works as they look to end the season on a positive note. Sunderland have moved back ahead of the Magpies, which could see Howe’s side miss out on Europe as they sit in 12th.
| Newcastle remaining fixtures |
|---|
| Crystal Palace (A) |
| Bournemouth (H) |
| Arsenal (A) |
| Brighton (H) |
| Nottingham Forest (A) |
| West Ham (H) |
| Fulham (A) |
Pulis believes they can reach their goals with the quality in the squad and would be happy to see them do so.
“They’re a good side, they’ve got some good players. If they can get that balance, and get the injured players back, and they finish top half of the table up, around one of the European positions, I’ll be delighted for him.”
Newcastle take on Crystal Palace next weekend at Selhurst Park. They require a win to get back on track and complete an unexpected.
