Eddie Howe: Newcastle manager channels Mikel Arteta with ‘fiery’ statement on future

Eddie Howe has insisted that “my fire is burning very, very strongly” after being questioned about his future as Newcastle United head coach.

The 48-year-old received plaudits for steering the Magpies to a top-five finish in the Premier League and EFL Cup glory - the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years - last season.

However, Newcastle have fallen into the trap of inconsistency this season and have lost seven of their last 10 Premier League matches (W3), most recently losing 2-1 away against Crystal Palace last weekend.

That defeat represents their 14th in the top-flight this season - two more than their total from the previous campaign (12) - and they have slipped down to 14th place in the table, 10 points behind the Champions League spots and five behind the top seven.

Howe signed a ‘multi-year’ contract extension at St James’ Park in the summer of 2024 and emphatically stated last week that he remains 100% committed to Newcastle.

Ahead of facing his former club Bournemouth on Saturday, Howe was asked again about his future and channelled Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta when expressing his feelings ahead of an important run of fixtures.

“My fire is burning very, very strongly,” says Howe

Arteta said earlier this week that he wants his Gunners team to play with "pure fire" as they bid to move a step closer to Premier League - and possibly Champions League - glory this season, and Howe issued a similar response when discussing Newcastle’s situation.

“In terms of my fire, my fire is burning very, very strongly,” Howe said at a press conference on Friday. "That’s no guarantee from my side what’s going to happen in the future because as I’ve said, the forces that move in football clubs move quickly.

"But my fire is there. There’s loads of wood stacked up and I’m ready to put it on it."

Howe added: “I just want serve the club and do what’s right for the football club. That’s always been my aim. If that’s me leaving to help the club, then of course that’s something I’ll do, I’ve got no issue doing that.

"It’s not about me. But if I believe I’m the right person to take the club forward, which I do currently right now, then I’ll do that and I’ll fight to the end.

"I’ll fight harder than I’ve ever fought before, but it’s about making sure that those two things are aligned."

Discussing why Newcastle’s form has dipped, Howe said: "I think there's a host of reasons. I know everyone wants one simple explanation and then for me to go away and fix it, but I think it's multi-factored.

‘Newcastle need that winning feeling back’ – Can Howe deliver it?

"I don't want to sit here and give excuses. If you try and explain something it is perceived as excuses. We haven't done it, we need to try and do it and we still have enough games to make a difference to our league standing. All we have to focus on now is the future."

“We need that [winning] feeling back. It's been too long,” he Magpies boss continued. “We're desperate to win and play well.

"This week we have had a mix of emotions. We had the disappointing result against Crystal Palace and there was a bit of anger, all those emotions which can be really positive for you, so we've tried to use them.

"There haven't been too many smiling faced around the training ground, but I think the feeling is one of steely determination to put it right.

"It's been a strange year in terms of the Premier League table, it's been very tight all season. We need a run of wins that we've needed all season. The biggest difference has been the lack of consistency.

"We're in a difficult period but we can still end up with a really successful season so that has to be our aim."

Newcastle have been boosted by the news on Bruno Guimaraes’s fitness, but success on Saturday is not a given, as the Magpies are winless in their last seven Premier League games against Bournemouth, who are enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run at present.