Apprently newspapers in Italy are linking Newcastle with an approach for Mourinho with a view to ousting Howe in the summer. I am not convinced that Howe has the ability to take Newcastle to the level they wish to be at but, by the same token, I feel Mourinho's toxic brand of management would be a distinct disadvantage to any club. I cannot see this happening even though it would be in keeping with the disastrous kind of decision making 'Toon are famous for.
That would be a very silly move IMO. Howe has more than earned his shot going into next season. I don't doubt they'll want a bigger name manager at some point but what's the rush?
Difference is the manager at Man United is deemed a failure if they don't win a trophy in any given season. Newcastle are nowhere near that stage. They may have ambitions to but they've got a long way to go before the fans/owners start demanding trophies.
It's a tricky one with Howe. Unlike most (maybe not on here), I really don't rate him. Think he is perfect for a team like Bompey or a lower mid table side (like us probs), but I really don't think he is on the next level. However, he has earned the right to prove me wrong (I am sure that is his motivation lol) by not only keeping them up, but by turning it around so well. I think if they aren't around the top 6 by Xmas though or the World Cup, the owners will get twitchy (I don't mean they will get Harry Redknapp in) and look elsewhere.
Hmm, I think Howe has proven he is a very good manager with what he's done at Newcastle TBH. Future England manager I think.
I think you may be right about the England manager thing. Look at Southgate, not spectacular as a club boss, but no denying that a WC semi-final and a Euro Final is quite spectacular.
I think he's certainly enhanced his reputation in the last few months. Until Newcastle, he was only ever a success at Bournemouth where he did a wonderful job but also had his flaws (mostly defensively). He was under huge pressure from the moment he took the Newcastle job - a job outside his comfort zone it's fair to say - and if there was an award for manager of the 2nd half of the season he'd win it by a country mile.
Has he though? He's had a good run but he's taken a mid table squad, spent £100m and improved them. Hardly pulling up trees is it? Way too early to start calling him a success there and the real time to judge is next season where they should be aiming for too half.
It's more the fact that he took on a squad very low on confidence and transformed it into a team who are in top 6 form. Also, he's had plenty of injuries to contend with. Trippier, one of their main signings has been out most of the 2nd half of the season. Wilson was out long term. He's also turned Joelinton from a CF who couldn't hit a barn door into a very good box to box midfielder! It's churlish to say the jury is still out on him IMO. He's been there since November now and he's done a remarkable job IMO.
We'll agree to disagree mate. I think he's done a good job and had a brilliant run but I don't think he's in any way done a 'brilliant' or 'remarkable' job. He's done slightly better than expected considering the squad and money spent. Very similar to Ralph actually previous to this season. The squad may have been low on confidence but they were also much better than they were showing so far (as evidenced by Bruce taking them to midtable twice) and he had a wall of hype around the club which was pretty unique in itself. Like I say he's done well but nothing special imo and it'll count for nothing when he's sacked in 2023.
Let's not forget that Howe had the COVID card to postpone games where his top players weren't fit and then managed to play the games with the replacements purchased in Jan....
Howe has proved himself capable of managing at premier league level, and has turned Newcastle into a team that can dig in and defend to a better level than before he arrived. I think his future at Newcastle will depend on his ability to convince highly desired footballers to sign for an unproven team and a manager that lacks the profile of the genuinely top managers such as Klopp, Guardiola, Conte etc. If he can go head to head with them and sign a player they are after, then he stands a chance of staying there. If not I can see him being replaced by a manager with a proven record of leading a top club.
Eddie got appointed on 8 November. He didn't win his second game until 22 January (and even that was "only" against Leeds).
