Eddie Howe brutally honest on Amanda Staveley - Newcastle United supporters learn PIF masterplan
Eddie Howe has defended Amanda Staveley’s ambitious comments made following the Carabao Cup final defeat last year.
Newcastle United supporters flocked to the capital to watch their team in a first Wembley final for 24 years. Unfortunately for them, the Magpies tasted a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United - and hopes of ending the seven-decade-long wait for a domestic trophy were crushed.
A dejected Staveley promised better days lay ahead for Toon fans despite the crushing setback. She vowed post-match: “We will win the Carabao Cup, we will win the FA Cup, we will win the Champions League and we will win the Premier League."
This raised eyebrows in the national press, with Newcastle beginning to realise the constraints of FFP/PSR regulations which has negated the Public Investment Fund’s spending power. But speaking to Simon Jordan, Howe, while admitting those comments raise expectations, insisted the Saudi-backed ownership remain focused on delivering long-term success.
“That absolutely is the vision (to win the Premier League and Champions League),” Howe said. “That has been made clear, not just from Amanda, but from several other people at boardroom level. There are big, long-term ambitions.
“But I think they understand now, with the rules in place, that this is a long-term vision not a short-term vision. Obviously, that increases the pressure on me.
“Whenever those (Staveley’s) comments are made, there’s a part of me that goes ‘Oof’ to a degree. But that’s Amanda. She is so passionate and (was) good for the football club, I can’t tell you (enough).
“She was so caring for the people at the club, you almost go ‘Well, that's Amanda’. There was no part of me that thought she shouldn’t have said that. That’s part of the job you’re in.”