‘Welcome to the Championship’: The best reactions after Newcastle United appointed Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe’s appointment was met with some scepticism back in November 2021.
By Evie Lake
Published 2nd Jun 2023, 11:30 BST
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It seems like a lifetime ago when Eddie Howe was appointed as Head Coach at Newcastle United, the start of the club’s new era.

In just a year in a half, Howe has established himself in the history books for a record-breaking season at the helm of the club. First, he got the Toon to its first cup final tournament in 25 years and then secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years.

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But some weren’t overjoyed when the ex-Bournmouth man was appointed. In fact, if you look back at the comments on the Facebook post that announced his arrival on Tyneside there was an extremely mixed reaction, albeit there is a lot of non-Newcastle fans taking the mick.

Shearer said: “For him to have taken Newcastle into the top four, and back to the Champions League, has been superb. Not only has he brought players in and improved them, but he's also done the same with the players that were already there. What a job he’s done!”Shearer said: “For him to have taken Newcastle into the top four, and back to the Champions League, has been superb. Not only has he brought players in and improved them, but he's also done the same with the players that were already there. What a job he’s done!”
Shearer said: “For him to have taken Newcastle into the top four, and back to the Champions League, has been superb. Not only has he brought players in and improved them, but he's also done the same with the players that were already there. What a job he’s done!”

So let’s take a trip down memory lane and remind ourselves of some of the best comments from the announcement. I suspect a few people will be eating their words:

‘Richest club in the Championship they said.’

‘Welcome to the Championship.’

‘Decent manager for Newcastle but won’t be challenging for trophies. He will steady your ship and good luck to him.’

‘Lol! At best he’ll keep you in the Prem for a season. No one in their right mind would sign for Newcastle in January with the very real prospect of playing in the championship next year.’

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‘People have to realise yes we may be the richest club but at the moment we cannot attract elite managers and players until our team is better. Eddie Howe is a good appointment for the short to medium term. We need to buy players and stay in the league as our team is championship quality at the moment. 15 years of underinvestment and poor signings. We need to buy players to get us into the top half and kick on from there. Once we are level with the top 6 we can attract world class players and a manager. We won’t have instant success but exciting times are ahead just give it 2-3 seasons.’

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

There are a few optimists amongst us, however (or, perhaps clairvoyants.)

One fan astoundingly commented: ‘I think he’ll do a Keegan. Save us from the drop and then take us into the Champions League.’

But most were just thrilled to finally have a glimpse of hope to cling onto after years of the Mike Ashely regime: ‘Welcome to the biggest club in the world.’

Related topics:Eddie HoweFootballChampions LeagueFacebook

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