Alan Shearer gives strong answer on whether Newcastle United should sack Eddie Howe
Alan Shearer is firmly behind Eddie Howe despite Newcastle United’s stuttering form.
Alan Shearer has urged Newcastle United supporters to get behind Eddie Howe amid the club’s poor run of form.
Just one win over PSV Eindhoven in the last eight games across all competitions has threatened to derail Newcastle's season. A dismal 3-2 home defeat to Brentford at the weekend left the Magpies sitting 12th in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe’s men travel to Tottenham Hotspur tonight, with both managers under pressure to turn the tide. The Toon boss told critics at his pre-match press conference yesterday that he is the right man for the job.
Eddie Howe sends defiant Newcastle United message
"That's why I'm sitting here," Howe told reporters when asked if he is still the right man for the job. "If there was doubt, I wouldn't be - because the club is the most important thing.
“I've never put myself before the club. If I didn't think I was the correct man to take the team forward, and I couldn't give the players what they need, then I would step aside and let someone else do it."
‘I am not turning’ - Alan Shearer
With some supporters turning on Howe following the Brentford loss, Shearer has called for calmness in the Toon ranks. He told The Rest Is Football podcast: “I am not turning on him at all. I think you have to look at the bigger picture, to see why and what has gone on because of the high standards that he set, Champions League football and continually getting to the latter stages of cup competitions, which we always struggled in.
“That’s the standard he set, so when you drop below that, you are going to come in for some criticism. I get that because, as a manager, you have to win games and, right now, Newcastle are not and aren’t sitting pretty in the Premier League. But you have to look at the bigger picture. Last summer didn’t help anyone. The recruitment hasn’t worked.
“There’s a lot of discussion and you should never listen to it online but I’m without a doubt sticking with Eddie. Just be careful what you wish for. This guy has given us the best day of our life in terms of winning a trophy. My life, anyway.
“He’s a brilliant coach and there’s no doubt that he’s having a tough time at this moment in time, his first real test but that doesn’t mean you get rid of someone when they’re having a bit of a tough time - for the first time. So for me, stick with him. We try and stick together as a football club because there’s a lot of noise and that’s the way you get better and improve.”