Eddie Howe insists true pressure is NOT the top four race
Eddie Howe insists pressure is worrying about how to pay the mortgage – NOT taking part in a top-four race – as he shares how experience in League Two shaped his success at Newcastle
- After a late-season wobble, Newcastle’s hold on third place has weakened
- But the Magpies’ manager is adamant that his side are happy to be ‘hunted’
- Newcastle can secure UCL football with wins against Brighton and Leceister
Eddie Howe insists pressure is the bailiffs knocking at the door and worrying about how to pay the mortgage — not the intriguing race for a Champions League place.
The Newcastle boss is happy to be ‘hunted’ by Liverpool with the battle for a top-four finish set for a thrilling climax in the final fortnight of the Premier League campaign.
And the 45-year-old is convinced his tough introduction to management when he was thrown in at the deep end at cash-strapped Bournemouth 15 years ago gave him the perfect lesson in how to keep things in perspective and deal with pressure at the other end of the football food chain.
Howe said: ‘The first season I had in management was the best grounding I could ever have had, and I knew it at the time. You’re dealing with bailiffs coming in, players not getting paid, knocking on your door saying, “I can’t pay my mortgage”.
‘As coaches, we bought equipment for the club because we wanted to do the best job that we could. That first six months in management felt like 10 years and we experienced things that some managers will never go through in their entire career.
‘I was grateful for that and the fact we were successful, which enabled us to launch our career. It’s a great grounding and means we’ve never taken anything for granted or got ahead of ourselves. We’re just very grateful for the situation we’re in now.’
Eddie Howe has claimed he is happy to be ‘hunted’ by Liverpool in the race for the top four
Howe, with long-term assistant manager Jason Tindall, achieved promotion to League One in 2010 with Bournemouth, and guided the side to the Premier League in 2015
Howe led the Cherries to League Two safety in the 2008-09 season despite a 17-point deduction, before guiding them to three promotions in two celebrated spells on the south coast.
He admits thoughts of the Champions League couldn’t have been further from his mind back then, and added: ‘I don’t think those conversations ever came up!
‘You always hope and dream when you’re starting out what the future may look like, and how far can you go? But there was never talk of the Champions League. Our feet were always firmly on the floor.
‘It’s nice to reflect and see how far we’ve come but it never stops you wanting more. I’m not satisfied with what we’re doing now, I want more.’
Third-placed Newcastle can clinch Champions League qualification if they beat Brighton and relegation-threatened Leicester at St James’s Park over the next five days.
Howe’s side have experienced a wobble after taking a point from their last two games to give sixth-placed Liverpool hope of catching them or Manchester United in the race for the top four.
The resurgent Reds trail the Magpies by a point having played a game more, with boss Jurgen Klopp insisting his side will keep up the pressure after winning seven in a row.
The English manager values the perspective that his time in League Two has given him
‘I don’t feel we’re being hunted,’ Howe insisted. ‘I don’t feel that emotion, it’s us against ourselves really, that’s how I see it. It’s us trying to be the best we can be.
‘I’ve not focused on any other team all season. I knew Liverpool were never far away because they’re a top team and they’re capable of going on runs of wins very similar to Manchester City.
‘They can win a group of games without even blinking. They’ve got that experience and we can’t compare ourselves to them, we just have to concentrate on ourselves.
‘When it’s such a big achievement and you want something badly, which I’m sure everyone connected with the club does, the hardest bit is to finally get there.’
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