1 May 2026 18:00 BST |
4 min read
Newcastle United legend Chris Waddle believes his former club should retain faith in head coach Eddie Howe, despite a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats.
The Magpies have slipped to 14th place in the English top flight table and they are now only eight points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in the relegation zone with four league games remaining this campaign.
Widespread rumours have suggested that Howe’s position as head coach is in serious doubt heading into the summer transfer window, but the Englishman remains the right man for the job, according to Waddle.
Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, where players can enjoy a diverse selection of slots including Football Cash Collect Slot, Waddle told FootballTransfers: “I like Eddie Howe. I think he plays the Newcastle way, if there is a Newcastle way, which basically means ‘play on the front foot and go for it.’
“I think he does that and I think Newcastle fans love that. But, results can make your life a bit of a pain in the backside.
“Three or four months ago, if you mentioned Newcastle sacking him, everybody would’ve gone mad. For me, Newcastle need an attacking manager and Howe fits that bill.”
‘Newcastle need five or six new players’ – Chris Waddle
Newcastle spent just shy of €280 million on new signings last summer, but Waddle believes that additional reinforcements are needed ahead of next season, especially if the club offload a number of their key players.
“I think they do need five or six new players,” he added. “Some players are getting on now and some players there’s been talk about going – Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes – but if they want to go, they need to knock on the door and come forward and say ‘I want to leave.’ By all accounts, none of them have said that.
“I think the way Newcastle play is very demanding, very physical on the body and I think they’ve had quite a few injuries. These players have been through a lot of games at a high level.
“When they’ve been in the Champions League in the past, they’ve had a similar type of season where they sort of fall away in the league because they just can’t keep it up every week. The way Newcastle play, there’s no Plan B. It’s basically, ‘go and attack, play on the front foot at a high tempo’, which the fans demand.
“In that sense, I defend Eddie Howe. I think that’s what he wants and that’s what the fans want. This is the first time really, over the last two months, that I’ve heard quite a lot of fans talking about, ‘do we need a change?’
“I like Eddie Howe and to bring a change in, they’d have to play a similar type of football and there’s not many managers who like to play that style.”
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