Sunderland target names Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe as 'inspiration'

Sunderland managerial target Will Still has named Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe as an inspiration as he continues his own career in the dugout.

The 31-year-old coach has made headlines over the last 18 months after taking charge of Ligue 1 club Reims following the departure of former manager Oscar Garcia.  In a unique scenario, Reims were fined around £19,000 for every game Still oversaw because he did not have a UEFA Pro Licence.  Despite that issue, on-field progress was not impacted as Reims went on an unbeaten run of 14 games.

His performances with Reims has drawn interest from several clubs and Still was linked with the vacancy at Sunderland before the Black Cats appointed Michael Beale in December.  The former Rangers manager departed the Stadium of Light last month and Still has been routinely discussed as a possible replacement during the summer.

In a recent interview given to Spanish outlet AS, Still was asked which current managers he takes inspiration from and he named Magpies boss Eddie Howe alongside one of European football’s true managerial greats.

He said: “I was inspired by everyone.  There is no coach better than another.  I think there are different ideas throughout the world of football that we can learn from.  Ancelotti too, who has done absolutely crazy things.  But we also have Eddie Howe, in Newcastle, who does things very well.  You have to try to capture as much information as possible to be able to apply it and not stick to just one style.  

"For me, positional play is creating superiority over the opponent to be able to play forward. That to me is the definition of position play. Play vertically and as fast as possible.  I don’t like having the ball for hours and hours, that doesn’t interest me. I like to play forward and be vertical. And create superiorities and, in addition, generate a system with which we can play quickly forward.  And when we lose the ball, react as quickly as possible in short distances to be able to steal and attack again.”