Eddie Howe did the unthinkable in getting Newcastle United back into the Champions League, but he could not guide the Magpies beyond the group stage.
Newcastle’s European dream came to an end on Wednesday night, as they lost 2-1 to AC Milan. The defeat means they finished bottom of the ‘group of death’, with the Magpies not even receiving Europa League football as a consolation prize.
It was an emotionally draining night at St James’ Park. It started with euphoria thanks to Joelinton’s glorious goal, and it looked like that would be enough for us to advance to the next round of the Champions League.
However, AC Milan staged a second half comeback to break Toon hearts and dump them out of Europe.
It is a crushing blow for Eddie Howe, whose first ever Champions League campaign has ended in despair. There should be a lot of pride too, but it has ended with Newcastle United coming bottom of their group.
Following the Champions League exit, some outsiders will question Howe’s credentials on Tyneside, with some pondering whether he is really the man to take Newcastle to the heights the owners are looking for.
Toon fans will believe that Howe really is the man, and thankfully that is how the owners feel too.
Eddie Howe is safe as Newcastle manager after Champions League exit
According to iNews, Howe is under no pressure at St James’ Park following the club’s elimination from the Champions League.
They state that Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley have privately offered support to the manager and that nothing has changed for them.
iNews add that it is unclear how PIF feel about Howe right now, but they suggest that the belief is that there will be no kneejerk reaction due to them being ‘process-driven’ and happy with how quickly the club has improved under Howe.
It was not long ago that chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was offering his support to Howe and the team, asking what the owners can do to improve things.
That will likely still be the club’s stance, as they have to recognise how well Howe has done in just getting Newcastle to this stage.
Newcastle have been overachieving under Eddie Howe
Qualifying for the Champions League was never on the agenda last season. We are well ahead of where the owners expected us to be, and we certainly held our own in Europe’s elite competition.
Obviously, we could have done better, but we did not disgrace ourselves. Had a few minor moments gone differently, we could be pondering who we want in the knockout stages right now.
Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle have constantly been on an upwards trajectory. That still feels like the case despite the disappointment of the AC Milan game, and that is why his future is not in doubt.
