EDDIE HOWE HAS warned Newcastle that the rest of the Premier League will do them no favours as they attempt to upset the established order.
Two days after finding themselves in Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s firing line following a dramatic conclusion to their clash at Anfield, head coach Howe revealed the big-spending Magpies’ efforts to further bolster their squad as the transfer window ran down were thwarted by domestic clubs making life difficult for them.
Asked if that had been an issue with the club increasingly perceived as a threat as they pursued the likes of Leicester’s James Maddison, Leeds midfielder Jack Harrison and Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the 44-year-old replied: “Yes, I would say so.
That was definitely something we felt in the market. Domestic clubs didn’t want to be seen to be helping us. We’ll have to take that, that is part of where we are at the moment. We have certainly found there is no-one there ready to do us a favour. It’s the narrative regarding us that has changed. If there is anything domestically, teams will put their price up if it is Newcastle.
“There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else. That is healthy and I would embrace that.”
Newcastle’s new-found wealth has established the club as contenders to break the big-six stranglehold at the top of English football and, while the fact that much of it stems from Saudi Arabia brings controversy, there is a growing wariness as a result.
Howe’s players, who welcome Crystal Palace to St James’ Park on Saturday, were booed by the home crowd after the final whistle in their 2-1 defeat at Anfield, in which they had taken the lead courtesy of record signing Alexander Isak’s debut day strike.
But Howe, who revealed he was unlikely to complain about the amount of stoppage time played by referee Andre Marriner despite believing the game should have been over before Fabio Carvalho’s last-gasp winner, is happy to ruffle feathers if that means the Magpies are causing anxiety among the division’s aristocrats.
He said: “I will take that if we are contenders, but we have that all to prove. We are so early into the season. We need to elevate ourselves in points and league status to make sure we are seen as that. If that makes us unpopular, I will take it.
“We’re just trying to be very competitive, we’re trying to play our way. We don’t want to lie down and accept anything.
“We want to fight for every point, every tackle and do everything we can to win. If that’s unpopular with people, then so be it, but we’ll continue to hopefully play in the way that we all see that we should.
“We’ve got to fight for everything.”
Amazing how many of these tales looking back with regret young lads not realising the opportunity they had. No doubt awareness, attitude, application, education, etc are all needed to go with skill and ability, the more rounded the kid the better chance he has.
@Nick: all these interviews are with guys that didnt make the most of the career they had for a variety of reasons and they do deserve to be heard. However the real tragedy is the 100′s that give everything to football from 12 – 22yrs of age & dont even get a short career, left with no education, no skills & a bleak future.
@James Kearney: exactly, big clubs suck 100s of children and parents in give them glimpses of the big time in the off and remote chance they may make it. Come 19 or 20 a harsh decision is made and vast majority get a good luck and thanks for your time. Has to be more responsibility from clubs point of view, their education must still be the priority not the lining of millionaires pockets.
@James Kearney: absolutely. I played at a decent level but I was lucky enough to know I was never good enough to make it and knew I’d have to make a living elsewhere.. So many lads I played with chased the dream and had nothing to fall back on when they fell short.
@James Kearney: English football clubs have chewed up and spat out many young Irish men. My club alone, in backwater in mayo, has had a few lads go across in their early teens and have ultimately come back after being homesick and falling out of love with football. Two of them have been captains of their youth teams. Back home with no education and the stigma of ‘there’s the lad that didn’t make it’. The FAI don’t care about our young talent. You either make it if you’re good enough or its good luck, there’s the door. If they did, they’d invest in LOI and we’d retain our youth until they were mentally mature enough to make the venture across.
Great article. Fascinating story.
How much was he earning st Sunderland, Dunfermline and at Hartlepool Utd? Did he earn enough to invest in properties, pension?
@Ken Curran: not a lot probably
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