Newcastle United’s poor run of results has intensified questions about Eddie Howe’s future, with the club now facing a major decision ahead of the summer.
We all know that any sort of European qualification was set internally as the minimum target entering the season, but that now appears out of reach, to say the least.
Newcastle remain mathematically close to the top six, yet their position in the table and recent performances have left them with little realistic chance of returning to any UEFA competition.
While the club enjoyed progress and the false hopes of cup competitions, their league form has been awful during the second half of the campaign.
“That was the stated objective of Ross Wilson, the sporting director, in December, while Howe himself has made little secret of his aim of taking Newcastle back into Europe,” Chris Waugh reported in a Q&A for The Athletic. “Even if Newcastle are still only six points behind sixth-placed Chelsea, their terrible form and the presence of seven teams in between means it feels highly unlikely at this stage.”
The situation has led to internal discussions about planning for next season way ahead of time, including the future of Howe.
“The club may argue this season is an aberration and they still have full faith in Howe,” Waugh reported. “But they may also cite the downturn during the second half of the campaign as evidence of regression.
“Should they fear that trend continuing, then that is when a change of head coach feels inevitable.”
Newcastle are now expected to assess whether Howe remains the right man to lead the next phase of the project during the summer, with no imminent decision expected until then, but with the club running out of time if they want to plan properly and avoid another year-long disaster next season.
