Eddie Howe said Newcastle United’s display in the 2-1 Premier League win at Tottenham showed the squad still trusted the head coach. The result followed three straight league defeats and intense scrutiny. Howe was pushed towards the travelling fans at full-time by Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier to share the celebrations.
The mood contrasted sharply with events at St James’ Park on 7 February against Brentford, when Newcastle United were booed off after another loss. Howe had openly accepted responsibility, admitting results were not good enough and questioning how long he should stay in charge if performances did not improve.
After the Brentford defeat, Howe reflected in public on his position and motivation. Howe said he would stay only
while he felt he was the correct fit for Newcastle United and while the players responded to his leadership. The reaction at Tottenham suggested the changing room remained committed to the project.
Howe was asked after beating Tottenham if recent days had involved deep reflection on his future. Howe answered with a grin that the period had been intense. "I think 'bit' is an understatement, to be honest. " Howe added that such moments required honesty and a clear review of every part of his work.
Howe later expanded on how the pressure and criticism had affected Newcastle United. "Whenever you're in the moment that we were in, you have to take stock of everything. As I said at the press conference after Brentford, that wasn't an act, that was me being real and very genuine in terms of how I felt. I'll say it again: I've got to believe that I'm the right person to be in the job, with all the sacrifices that it entails, and I've got to feel the players are playing for me. Today they showed that they are, but that has to be consistent moving forward. "
Full-time scenes pic.twitter.com/Kcu4NvIKH3Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 10, 2026
On the pitch, Newcastle United showed both their flaws and resilience against Tottenham. Malick Thiaw gave the hosts the lead, punishing missed chances from Newcastle. Archie Gray then levelled on 64 minutes. However, Jacob Ramsey quickly scored a first Newcastle goal, securing three valuable Premier League points in north London.
Howe felt the response to recent setbacks had strengthened bonds within Newcastle United. "It's brought us closer together and reinforced relationships," Howe said. "It's made us all look inward, made us all look at what we're doing and how we can do it better. This is a really tough job that we're doing. "
Newcastle United, Eddie Howe and Premier League schedule demands
Howe pointed to the fixture list as another major factor in Newcastle United’s form. "We're at the very highest level, where you're constantly getting asked new questions, and we're playing a schedule where we're playing every three days. Sometimes that can feel like you can't breathe, you can't reset, and you're being asked to play again and again. "
The coaching staff made several changes against Tottenham to cope with that rhythm. "That's why we rotated the squad today to just freshen a couple of players up, so they can find their top form. We need to try to have the ability to do that more often, if we can get a few players back from injury. We're desperate to be successful. It all adds to the mix. "
The only major concern for Newcastle United on the night was Guimaraes leaving the pitch late on, appearing to suffer a hamstring problem. Howe said assessments were still required before confirming the extent of the issue. The head coach stressed that injuries remained a key challenge as Newcastle attempted to stabilise their Premier League campaign.
