Eddie Howe kept insisting that his commitment to Newcastle United has not changed after a 2-0 defeat at Fulham ended a difficult Premier League season, although it’s unclear if that fully aligns with PIF & Co.‘s plans for the Magpies’ managerial role.
Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League table after goals from Fulham’s Issa Diop and Tom Cairney sealed yet another Geordie defeat at Craven Cottage in the season finale.
The result left the Magpies well short of clinching any European spot, and
gave Howe his lowest league finish since taking charge in 2021.
“My commitment has never wavered from day one to today,” Howe told Chronicle Live on Sunday. “Regardless of who it is, unity running through a football club is important from top to bottom. You need that togetherness and that plan.”
The manager also acknowledged the scale of the work ahead after a season that included Champions League progress, a Carabao Cup semi-final run, and 17 league defeats.
“Whenever you have things to work on you have to absorb it,” Howe said. “If you deflect and think it’s nothing to do with us, then you never grow or improve.”
The Athletic reported on Monday that Newcastle’s hierarchy still views Howe as the starting manager at least for the start of next season, even coming off a really damaging run of results to end this campaign.
“Behind the scenes, the club’s leadership made it clear that their starting point for next season was Howe remaining in charge,” The Athletic reported.
Howe did not hide from the final-day performance.
“Not the way we wanted to end the season, that’s for sure,” Howe said. “There was a disjointed view about the team. We can’t be happy with the number of defeats; we’re not deluded.”
Jamie Reuben also described the campaign as below standard.
“Clearly a very disappointing result at the end of an underwhelming season,” Reuben wrote.
Newcastle now enter a crucial summer, with Howe still intent on leading the reset but uncertainty about whether or not the potential moves will correct the direction the club has taken of late, thus saving—or dooming—Howe’s future in Tyneside.
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