The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope was at Newcastle United’s training ground on Monday to see Eddie Howe – and the manager did not dodge any questions over Saturday’s dismal showing at Arsenal.
Here, he reflects on that game and looks ahead to Tuesday’s trip to Blackburn in the FA Cup.
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All the noise is just that, noise. Armchair critics who havent a clue, have zero patience, and without overnight success want a new start.
Imagine how good a manager Eddie will be in 10yrs. Then imagine how happy we'll be to have had him at NUFC that whole time.
Aye u got the formation call right on sat didnt ye? Played like a flute. 😅
Last ferry to wearside for plastic fans.
Toon Army
All I will say is my support for Eddie is in the balance and that has just happened in the last few weeks.
Eddie needs to get his act together other wise he will be dismissed
hopefully we don't get another toothless performance like Saturday we need to drop botman hes never the same player since his injury
Biggest issue of this season is the mismanagement of players injuries , definitely not elite and not as good as under Rafa. We need an upgrade. See you at Ewood Park Craig
I’d love Diego Simeone to manage our club, but most of our players couldn’t hack it. Proper football manager.
I think he has tried something last few games, at Forest & home to Luton… issue is (even tho played ok against Forest & got win) they haven’t worked. That’s why he went with 433 at Arsenal with some players back but they just played poorly Saturday.
For me Eddie is too soft on the players that approach can only work for so long.
Craig, I don't know if it does, but IF PSR necessitates the club selling one of their top players in order to spend enough to advance the rebuild, who would you choose to sell: Bruno, Isak, or Botman? No agenda here, just curious. I don't know how I'd answer that.
I felt so sorry for Karius. Playing your first game in a year and being put in against Arsenal.
Get this man out of our club, he's Steve Bruce 2.0
mid table it is
top managers can play various formations/systems, he can't and refuses to learn from his obvious mistakes. that can only end one way for him. if we have money to spend in the summer would you trust him with it?
The botman injury is why were playing so bad players in fear pf being flogged to death, they wont stand a gaffer doing that forever
The players, before the game looked genuinely nervous. The performance, was lacking in desire, the press is out of the window this season, it seems. Reactive eddie, again, with the subs. It was painstakingly visible, how piss poor the team was 20 mins in. Yet reactive Eddie, makes the substitutions far to late. Lets hope, we are a different side, in our next P. League game, as Blackburn is a should, must win, emphatically, given the the dismal defeat at Arsenal, & that there're a championship side.
Has the coffee shop where you see players, recently changed hands, and is now owned by a citizen from Amsterdam ?
Craig I agree that game had 5 at the back written all over , we missed Dan's aerial presence and blocking. To play a midfield of 3 against Arsenal our 3 were just not good enough and to be honest not enough legs and class
FFP …i understand upto a point , but i keep reading major surgery needed in summer transfer market for the Toon .. which i totally get of course .. But does FFP reset in the summer or something ? To be able to spend millions on new players ? Also we need to ship out some of bruces and Ashleys player's this time and be ruthless . enough is enough.
Hi Craig. I really enjoy your comments and would love to get onto the Whatsapp channel but when I click on the Mail icon all I get is a blank Whatsapp page. What am I doing wrong? I use Whatsapp regularly to communicate with friends and am in several Whatsapp groups all of which work fine. Kepp up the good work!
I don't get how a room full of sports journalists that have been around the block don't see the blatantly obvious issue with the team right now.
You can't expect to do anything at any level in the Premier League playing both Miley and Longstaff in a midfield 3.
You're also playing a right winger who is simply not good enough and now playing in a huff.
I'm not sure what we're expecting with 3 sub standard players.
Howe has been found out this season we won't progress under him and quite frankly i don't want him wasting anymore money on his overpriced average players.
I agree Craig sick of some noises from 😅our fans .Eddie needs time hope he gets it Time some Players stood up too .Trust Eddie but he is looking tired needs a Break for his own sake family time.🌑⚽️🖤🤍
Would anyone be shocked if it turns out Botman needs an operation come the end of the season.
How did we not manage to keep hold off lee clarks boy too he'd of got game time this season. Karius should be given a run of games now too. Wish we'd be more flexible instead of the ridged 433, plan B and a C wouldn't go a miss. Bruno needs to get this yellow out the way too I think hes holding back a touch knowing he's on thin ice. Toon win tomorrow night 💪.
Craig , I think Eddy.made a grave mistake not playing 5 at the back , knowing how Arsenal play on Saturday and we suffered the consequences of that decision but Eddy is the manager and he will learn
No good dwelling on Saturdays game with exception of the Loris Karius who I thought was the best Newcastle player on the pitch, from my point of view I hope he get rewarded and plays at Blackburn and also gives young Hall a run out can not be doing his confidence any good as a young player
Lets hope we play better than we did on Saturday , Willock will be a great option for us as sooner than later Bruno is going to get booked and that hanging over him has not helped him
Have good trip down to Blackburn and come back with a favourable report with Newcastle looking for their next opponents in the FA cup
Good to hear his thoughts on J7.
When a team goes to Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Man City, Man U etc and plays to contain those sides then the belief isn't there that the team are good enough to beat the top sides. Benitez played like that, so did Bruce. Keegan never did. Under Kev we never rolled over, in fact we were never outclassed. The game is way too tactical now. If Keegan's Newcastle team had gone to Arsenal they'd have attacked them and not sat back waiting for a lucky break.
Last summers transfer window set us back 12 months. Selling ASM was an error. We need rid of Wilson, Almiron, Murphy, Longstaff, Dubravka and Lacelles. The whole business weakened us.
We should have got Maddison and the Sboszlai lad at Liverpool, maybe even Gallagher from Chelsea and turned him into a holding midfielder, a new centre half and a striker.
Sod all this playing right wingers playing on the left and vice versa get wingers with 2 feet.