Newcastle United’s pre-season training camp offered a glimpse into their future but the uncertainty afflicting the club’s summer feels more like a negative spectre from their past.
At Adidas’ luxurious, state-of-the-art headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Eddie Howe sat with journalists for an extraordinary half-hour interview. However, given the explosive and political nature of his answers, it could easily have been Rafa Benitez and one of the Spaniard’s twice-yearly rants during Mike Ashley’s regime.
Howe delved into his predecessor’s playbook by using the speculation linking him with the vacant England position to essentially make a power play at St James’ Park.
Here, The Athletic outlines what Howe said and analyses what his answers meant…
Question: “So, England…”
Howe: “Being very proud to be Newcastle manager, this is all about Newcastle. It’s not about England. As long as I am happy, feel supported, feel free to work in the way I want to work, I have not thought of anything else other than Newcastle. I absolutely love the club. I love the supporters. I love where I am at in my career. There is no better place for me to be. That is how I feel.
“It’s not about England. That is absolutely someone else’s conversation, not mine. To speak about something else while manager of Newcastle is wrong.”
Waugh: This was Howe’s attempt to shut down queries about the vacant England job early. Howe appeared tense and this was a prepared answer, intended to end this line of questioning.
Howe was stressing that England is not his primary concern because there has not actually been an approach. Instead, he started to outline that his focus is on Newcastle and he is desperate to stay, but only if the influence he has established is not eroded to such a degree that his position materially changes.
Darren Eales, the club’s CEO, spoke on Tuesday about Newcastle’s “love” for Howe and their desperation to keep him. But, with Paul Mitchell arriving as sporting director — an appointment that Howe had no input into — and James Bunce brought in as performance director, as well as Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi departing as co-owners, the restructuring has left the head coach feeling uneasy about his role.
Question: “Will you be manager for the first game of the season?”
Howe: “As long as I’m happy in the position that I’m in. As long as I feel supported by the football club and free to work in the way I want to work, yes. That is the crucial thing.”
Waugh: Howe could have just said ‘yes’. The fact he caveated his answer reinforced his desire to send a message to those above.
Eales may have been effusive in his praise of Howe but the Newcastle head coach responded by pushing for reassurances in what is increasingly becoming an internal power struggle.
Eddie Howe oversees training in Germany with Sandro Tonali (centre) and Sean Longstaff (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Question: “Are you supported? Are you happy? Do you have those conditions to work?”
Howe: “There has been a lot of change this summer. It has been a very difficult summer for everyone connected with the club. With change always comes a new feeling.
“You can point to PSR (profitability and sustainability rules), Amanda and Mehrdad, a change in sporting director, which, of course, influences me. These are all big changes. That is why I’ve made the points I have because this has to work for Newcastle.
“It’s about making sure Newcastle United is as strong as it can be for the next season and beyond. We’ve all got to come together and make sure we are the force we want to be.”
Question: “What do you need to be happy?”
Howe: “I have loved every second of the relationships that I’ve had (previously) and the way I’ve been able to work. That has brought success.
“We’re in the flux of change; it’s just happened. I can’t say with a definitive answer where that will lead. I hope it leads to everything that I’ve just said. That could easily be the case but it needs to be that way for Newcastle, not so much for me. The club is always the most important thing.”
Waugh: Howe rarely gives an enlightening answer unless he wants to. He did not pretend he was content with the current state of affairs.
The chaotic end to June and the club’s PSR saga left Howe’s squad unsettled, while his decision to directly reference how the arrival of Mitchell as sporting director “influences” him felt telling. Behind the scenes, Howe has pushed for a new sporting director to arrive all summer, yet now Mitchell has arrived, the head coach is trying to hold on to as much off-field power as he can.
Question: “Do you have an ambition to manage England one day?”
Howe: “England is a very special job for someone. I am very patriotic and I’m not ashamed to say that. I love my country. I want my country to do well but I don’t have a burning sensation that I have to do that job at some stage.
“If it happens at some stage in the future, then it’s (destined) to be for me. If not, then I’m very happy in the current role that I’m doing, the day-to-day management.”
Question: “Is England a job you can say no to?”
Howe: “Of course. It depends on your situation. I had this situation a lot at Bournemouth but I was very happy in my environment, in my day-to-day workings, so I had no desire to leave.
“That’s always been my key driver: my happiness and my ability to do my job.”
Waugh: Howe was cute as he did not categorically rule himself out of the England job, nor overtly flirt with it.
Instead, he admitted that he may even be willing to reject an approach from the FA because he is keen to remain at Newcastle. But, again, that was cleverly qualified by Howe referring to his general happiness being key to him remaining in situ.
It was a warning to his present employers and an answer that will intrigue the FA, which may now be minded to closely monitor how events unfold at St James’ Park.
Question: “Are you seeking assurances on how things will work?”
Howe: “No. I’m not really seeking assurances. It’ll be a feeling because the club have made decisions, which is right for the club. I don’t think I have the right or the want to challenge those decisions. The club has to choose its direction and that is their right.
“I’ve got no issue with that but obviously, I have to be happy in my work. I have to feel that this is something that can benefit me and the club for it to work.”
Question: “That’s not quite an unequivocal, ‘I’m staying’?”
Howe: “I absolutely want to stay but it has to be right for me and the club. There’s no point saying I’m happy staying at Newcastle if the dynamic isn’t right. I’m certainly not serving Newcastle well if I do that.
“It’s been a difficult summer in various aspects but as a new team coming together, we have to set our boundaries. We have to see if we can work together in a really fluid, dynamic way to the benefit of Newcastle.
“I’m working every day with the new people to see if the relationships can benefit Newcastle. The transfer window is massive.
“That’s no criticism of anyone who has come in. I want to make that absolutely clear. Paul Mitchell has an outstanding record as a sporting director. He’s dynamic, he’s very strong. He’s exactly the sort of person Newcastle need to take the club forward.”
Question: “What changes have taken place?”
Howe: “We haven’t had detailed conversations; we’ve just come together. The boundaries of relationships and how they’re going to work is slightly unclear.”
Paul Mitchell was appointed as Newcastle’s sporting director this month (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Question: “Who has control over transfers — will that change?”
Howe: “At any football club, it can’t be one man’s decision and I wouldn’t expect that to be the case. Collaboration on every level is vital. There has to be unity around every decision because it is so big now. That collaboration is important to me.”
Question: “Players come and go with your final say — is that still the case?”
Howe: “I think these are things we are working on.”
Waugh: This exchange felt very un-Howe-like. He rarely airs internal issues publicly — unless he wants to apply pressure, as he did with Dan Ashworth before the sporting director was placed on gardening leave in February.
There have been discussions between Eales, Mitchell, Bunce and Howe about their relationships moving forward, and who will have authority over which aspects of the club, but the head coach evidently has not received the assurances he craves.
Eales described Mitchell’s role as “90 per cent recruitment” and, although Howe was seeking a sporting director with a background in dealing with transfers, the head coach wants to remain a strong voice, if not even retain the final say, when it comes to signings.
Howe barely even attempted to conceal that desire in his responses, describing the business Newcastle conduct this window as “massive” for his own future. Howe’s equivocation on whether he or Mitchell ultimately has the final say was illuminating and suggested that remains a live topic of debate internally.
Question: “Is James Bunce’s arrival a concern? There were a lot of injuries last season but if he tries to intervene regarding training…”
Howe: “It’s a new relationship but early dealings with James have been top-class. Pre-season is massively important physically for players. My early impression is he’s going to be fantastic for the football club but obviously, it’s a new relationship and we have to see how we work together.”
Question: “Eales made some comments suggesting you were best placed working on the grass. Does it need nuanced balancing?”
Howe: “Exactly, yes.”
Waugh: Bunce’s arrival could unsettle the dynamics among the coaching, medical and sports science departments. That is actually what the performance director’s appointment is intended to do, given the hierarchy’s internal report on last season cited injuries as a key issue.
While Howe will welcome the additional expertise, there is a fine line between what he views as support and (perceived) encroachment into his domain. Howe appears perturbed by the significant changes, and further pacification from above is required.
As for the Eales quote, Howe sat stony-faced as he listened to the question.
Howe’s official title may be ‘head coach’ but he has essentially held the power of an old-fashioned ‘manager’. Eales’ inference, whether intentional or otherwise, was that the scope of internal roles is shifting.
Howe’s short reply suggested he is unimpressed by what he may perceive to have been an insinuation that he is best served sticking to coaching.
Question: “You signed a long-term contract last summer. Do you still want to fulfil the terms of that?”
Howe: “Yeah, absolutely. That was my intention when I signed it. I’ve shown my commitment to Newcastle since the day I’ve been here and that’s never changed.”
Question: “Are you unsettled?”
Howe: “I’m not sure if unsettled is the right word, really. I haven’t been unsettled. I’ve been working and my wife will vouch for that. The work never stops and I want to tell everybody how committed I am.”
Waugh: Howe finished by dangling the carrot. He used the stick throughout many of his answers but concluded on a positive, stressing his commitment to Newcastle and reiterating his desire to stay.
But, make no mistake, Eales and Mitchell will have taken note of Howe’s other remarks. Howe outlining his concerns to them privately is one thing yet how the hierarchy will feel about the head coach going public with his anxieties at this delicate point in a turbulent summer remains to be seen.
(Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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