Eddie Howe gets Newcastle United press conference grilling with 'negative' remark to questions
Eddie Howe felt he faced several negative questions as the fallout from Newcastle United’s defeat to Sunderland continued.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe spoke to the media at his pre-Fulham press conference, though it was more like a Sunderland post-mortem.
With a lot of anger and frustration still lingering from Sunday’s Tyne-Wear defeat on Wearside, Howe faced a lot of what he regarded as “negative questions”.
NewcastleWorld was there, and here we take you through the key talking points to emerge from Howe’s 30-minute briefing.
Eddie Howe on criticism from Newcastle United fans
You have to be calm and level-headed though in your analysis, don't you?
“Yeah, as I say, I think part of my job is to remain very level because I think if you don't and you join the emotional rollercoaster that football brings, I think you just create damage to relationships, which is hugely important and that's all through the football club.
“I think the leader has to be very mindful of that, has to be very constructive in his feedback and his criticism, which of course I will endeavour to do because I think we have to be very honest with the players and they have to be very honest back with us and then we have to find a way forward and we have to find a way to get consistent results, which is what we're still searching for this season.”
Are you aware of the fan feeling? Do you understand it?
“Yeah, of course, I understand it and expect it, but I can't get consumed by it. I think that's the key thing. I think you know in a game like that, if you don't perform and you don't get a positive result, criticism is naturally going to follow, it's part of the industry that we're in.
“But then what you do with that, from my view, is the key thing. As I say, I'm aware of it, you know it's there, but you don't absorb yourself with it, you absorb yourself with the football and what we could do better and what we need to do better to help the players, not anything else to better performances on a more consistent basis.”
How do you get rid of the anger that there is at the moment within the fan base?
“Yeah, well I think I can't sort of do that myself. I think that's going to be us together as a group. I understand it. All I urge the supporters to do is what they've always done since I've been here is support the team when they're playing.
“We have a huge group of games to come and we have the opportunity to still make this an amazing season. So while we're in that position where everything could still be positive, we have to attack it with all of our efforts combined.”
Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimaraes’ post Sunderland comments
Bruno Guimaraes was quite emotional after the game and he said it was embarrassing in the performance, it was a mess. He then came out on social media yesterday and said, look, ‘I've had time to think about it, there's no time to blame anyone’. What do you make of those comments?
“I think Bruno's comments, he was 90% right initially. I don't think we were a mess, I don't think the other parts of his original comments were wrong. But we weren't a mess, we were very well organised, we just didn't deliver the performance that we wanted to.
“Bruno’s very emotional and that's part of his success, that's why he's such an outstanding player for us and a leader for us. The second statement he put across is 100% right and that's what we need.
“The mindset now is that we can't affect the past, we can only affect the future and we need to do that together.”
Eddie Howe on Newcastle United’s summer transfer business
In regards to the transfer business, with maybe the exception of Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, is it fair to say you haven't felt the benefits of that yet?
“Yeah, I always say with these things, sometimes players take different times to grow into their new role at the club and you can never put a time on that.
“I think the players you mentioned have done really well. I think others have got to step up and grab their opportunities when they get them. I've got no doubt that they've got the ability to do that. But of course, they need the right conditions to do it and they need to feel good and happy at their new club. I think they are. It's just a case of them growing into the team.
“You can look historically and you can look back at players that have played really well in the team now, who took time to adjust to the football club. I mean, I look at Joelinton's journey to the player that he is now and the time it took him and what he had to go through to grow into that.
“Obviously, we don't want that for any of our new signings, but it's just an example that it's never a straight line for any new player.”
A couple of them were bought at great expense from Premier League rivals, I dare say, with the idea that they would hit the ground running and wouldn't need as big a period of adaptation. Have you been disappointed, concerned? How do you analyse the delay in their impact?
“Yes, I think you're right. Of course, we hope with every new player that they come in straight away, they play, they make the team better and everyone is happy.
“The reality is when you bring in that number of players, and I think you see it in other teams around the country and around the world football, when you bring in six players, the reality is not all six are going to adapt and contribute at the same rate and time.
“I back the players that we've signed and I'll say that continually. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't. I think they will make a difference, but they may take a bit longer.”
You have a difficult summer. Has the team gone backwards?
“Of course it was a difficult summer and I said there and then, whenever you lose a player like Alex, who's one of the best strikers in the world, your team's going to suffer from that. I don't care who you bring in to replace him. That's a very difficult piece of your jigsaw to replace.
“Now, it's not just Alex. We're always evolving and changing as players are ageing. And then we've entered sort of, I think, a new dynamic for the team and we're adjusting to that and I think with that comes some bumps and some rough patches.
“I don't know whether backwards is the right word. I think we're changing and morphing into something else and hopefully that something else will be very positive in the future.”
Eddie Howe on Newcastle United’s mentality issue
The word “mentality” - what does that actually mean?
“Yes, I think that's a really good question. What does it mean? Because it's a very overused phrase, mentality. I hear it a lot, but then when people who use it need to understand what it is.
“For me, it's our preparation. For me, it's making sure when you've got a job to do it's set play. When you're defending a corner, you've done the practice, but you take on the seriousness of your role and responsibility and you deliver it. That for me is mentality.
“Mentality is how you prepare. It's how professional you are. It's how hard you work at your game. All these things. And it's knowing your responsibilities as a teammate to deliver your best and be as consistent as you can and leave it all on the pitch.
“Talking off the pitch in changing rooms for me is important, but it pales to insignificance against your will to prepare and be a really good professional. For me, that's mentality. If that's being questioned, then we need to make sure the players are aware of those or aware of my thoughts.”
When you looked at your previous Newcastle teams, you kind of knew what you were going to get. Is it frustrating that you don't always know what you're going to get with this one?
“It's a horrible feeling, yes, because when you enter a game, as you say, you want your players to go onto the pitch and give it absolutely everything they have within their soul and their body to get a positive result.
“For me, that's the only thing I ever ask a player to do. Then I back their abilities once they go onto the pitch with that mindset to deliver a really good performance. And there's been a few times this season where I've left a game unsure on that.
“Going back to the point on mentality, that's mentality. That's knowing that you're representing yourself and your families when you enter the pitch and your job is to do your best. So, yes, I think we've lost a little bit of that and it's up to us to try and find a way to get that glue back.”
Are you guys sick of using disappointment as a motivation, bouncing back two wins?
“Yes, it's not where I want to be and it's not where I think our work is as a staff. I think we're very consistent with what we do. We're very consistent with our work ethic and we try to build that consistency with the squad.
“Now, for whatever reason it's happening and we have to acknowledge it and then we have to help the players. My big thing is to help no player enter the pitch not wanting to do well. Help the players deliver their best performances and I think it's always about that.”
Eddie Howe on the ‘negative’ questions from journalists
Do you still have full belief in these players and this team?
“Yes, 100% have full belief. My support for the group will never waver. I believe we've got some outstanding players. I understand all the questions being negative, but there's still a lot to be positive about and we can't lose sight of that internally. I understand if you guys can't, but I think for us we have to realise what the opportunity we have to get to another semi-final.
“We're still in all the competitions. We're such a small gap away in the Premier League. I understand the feeling and the themes, but it's for me to see a way forward.
“In terms of Sunderland, I watched it twice, forensically, and then I had to move on to Fulham because that's the beauty of having so many games. You have to move on quickly and focus on that.”