Eddie Howe took Newcastle United from relegation candidates to top team. He is known for getting the most out of his players – he blocks political questions about his involvement with the Saudi club. On Wednesday (October 25, 23, 9 p.m. live as an audio report and in the ticker) Newcastle United will play against Borussia Dortmund.
Recently Eddie Howe made an exception. The Newcastle United coach has made a statement on an issue that was affecting the north of England – and had nothing to do with sport. “I don’t even know how to describe it. I’m just disappointed that an act can destroy something so beautiful, something that everyone could enjoy. Very sad!” Howe said at the end of September about the illegal felling of one Centuries-old sycamore tree on Hadrian’s Wall, known as the Robin Hood tree in the 1991 Kevin Costner film.
The statement was a rarity, as mockers on the Internet immediately noticed, because Howe usually adamantly insists on only answering football questions. After all, he is a football coach, but he lacks the necessary expertise on other topics. This is how Howe always answers when he is asked questions about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia or about sportswashing, i.e. the polishing of a regime’s image through investments in sport.
Face of one of the most controversial projects in football
The reason Howe faces such issues is because he took the job as manager of Newcastle United shortly after the club was taken over by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF two years ago. Howe took on the role as the face and voice of one of the most controversial projects in international football.
Although it has to be said: Criticism of the fact that the traditional Magpies (Magpies) have practically belonged to the state of Saudi Arabia since October 2021 has come and continues to come almost exclusively from outside. In Newcastle itself, fans, media, politicians and club legends like Alan Shearer are full of euphoria about the new owners.
Big win against Paris Saint-Germain
Newcastle went from relegation candidate to top team much faster than expected. One that is capable of shooting Paris Saint-Germain out of the stadium 4-1 – as happened three weeks ago, in the club’s first Champions League home game in 20 years. A similar gala is scheduled to take place at St. James’ Park this Wednesday against Borussia Dortmund.
The architect of the upswing is a man who was actually only second choice. After the takeover, the owners from Saudi Arabia wanted to install the Spaniard Unai Emery as coach, but he refused. Instead, Howe, who had previously earned a reputation as an excellent player improver at AFC Bournemouth, took over. In the meantime, he was even considered a candidate to succeed England coach Gareth Southgate.
The club does not rely on big names when it comes to transfers
Howe, 45, is a figure without much glamor. This means he fits in with the down-to-earth, sometimes rough English north-east and the strategy for rebuilding Newcastle United. Unlike other state-financed projects in football such as the Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City in the early days under Sheikh Mansour from Abu Dhabi, the club does not rely on big names for transfers.
The current Newcastle team was put together with care. Arrivals such as goalkeeper Nick Pope (came from Burnley FC), left-back Dan Burn from the region (most recently at Brighton & Hove Albion), wing dribbler Anthony Gordon (came from Everton FC) and striker Alexander Isak (once failed at Borussia Dortmund). not natural candidates for a club that wants to establish itself at the top international level. Right-back Kieran Trippier (came from Atlético Madrid) and midfielder Bruno Guimarães (came from Olympique Lyon) became key players. Professionals who have been employed at Newcastle for a long time, such as central defender Fabian Schär and the former Hoffenheim player Joelinton, have made an enormous leap under Howe.
Turned a passive team into a collective
The club has spent around 440 million euros since it was taken over by the PIF, more than league competitors such as long-time champions and triple winners Manchester City or Arsenal FC in the same period. But Newcastle invested the money smartly – and Howe manages to get the most out of his team through “emotionally intelligent player management and high-class coaching” (Guardian). In a short space of time he has transformed Newcastle’s style. He has turned a passive team into a collective that has an above-average amount of ball possession, presses aggressively and is characterized by great intensity.
Howe himself has also evolved. Unlike in the past at Bournemouth, he managed to form a stable defense at Newcastle. Last season, no team in the Premier League allowed fewer goals. Attack is also a weapon. Newcastle have scored 24 goals in the first nine league games of the current campaign – a record.
Before his stint at St. James’ Park, Howe took a sabbatical and used the time, among other things, to study Diego Simeone’s training at Atlético Madrid. It is therefore no wonder that Newcastle are masters of the skills that are referred to in England as “shithousery”: time wasting, tactical fouls, little antics on and off the pitch to wear down the opponent. Howe doesn’t care that this isn’t well received everywhere: “We’re not here to be popular. We want to be competitive,” he says. That seems to be exactly his attitude towards the political issues surrounding his club.