Eddie Howe: Newcastle boss backed by Gary Neville as Paul Merson says Chelsea would take him ‘all day long’ | Football News

Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Paul Merson have backed Eddie Howe at Newcastle despite a poor recent run of results that has taken the Magpies from the European football picture to the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Newcastle produced a much-improved performance against Arsenal on Saturday Night Football, but still came away with a 1-0 defeat – a fourth successive loss in the Premier League.

It has put Howe under immense pressure as head coach, with the Magpies now 14th in the table with 42 points – just six above the bottom three.

However, neither pundit believes Howe should lose his job, with Merson adding Chelsea would snap him up as they begin yet another search for a permanent boss.

“I’m a big fan of Eddie Howe and if he leaves, they will be queuing up around the corner. Be careful Newcastle,” Merson said on Saturday Night Football.

“Chelsea would take him all day long. We were talking about him being the next England manager. Everyone will be queueing up to take him.

“It should be his decision if he wants to leave. He won a trophy for the club for the first time in 70 years.”

Neville added he hopes Newcastle and Howe are already preparing the squad for next season, and that the Englishman can take the Magpies back into the Champions League.

On The Gary Neville Podcast from the Emirates at the weekend, the former defender said: “It’s a really disappointing season.

“The transfer business at the end of the window in the summer was a real problem for them. They ended up with [Nick] Woltemade and [Yoane] Wissa and that’s just not paid off yet.

“I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way to go.

“They’ve got a really good manager. Where at some clubs it’s easier to say ‘let’s shift the manager and keep the players because they’ve got five or six-year contracts’, [it’s] absolutely the other way around at Newcastle.

“They will be thinking ‘if we lost him [Howe], we’ve lost an eight-and-a-half out of 10 manager, someone who’s a real solid performer – reliable, consistent, someone who’s got a great attitude’.

“I hope they’re sitting down with Eddie Howe and they’re going through [the squad] and he’s saying ‘these are the players I want, he’s a shift for me, these are the players I’m going to buy into for next season, I want to get these four or five in, and I want our business done early while everyone’s thinking about the World Cup’.

“They’re a really good side, I like watching them and they’re going to need to back their manager properly, buy into him, back him.

“That’s what I’d do if I were Newcastle because I think they’ve got one of the very best there and I think he’ll get them back up challenging for Champions League next season.”

Howe is set to meet with the Newcastle hierarchy this week, and when asked about it by Sky Sports on Saturday, he said: “These are things we always have every year. This one will be slightly harder for me, I’m sure, but it’ll be good to meet with the owners and discuss the future.”

Bruno says ‘not good enough’ – and calls for reinforcements

Bruno Guimaraes gave a candid assessment of Newcastle’s season, despite admitting they finally showed “passion” in the narrow defeat at title-chasing Arsenal.

Speaking to Sky Sports’, he said: “This reminded me a little bit of what we are able to do but, to be fair, it’s not good enough, our season, I know it.

“We have four games to save it and at least try to qualify for European football next season.

“I know the fans are very sad – the same as we are – and definitely we have to improve.

“[The spark] is still there somewhere, if you see the way we train well. We fought well today but this season we have been bouncing [between] a good game and a bad game. It’s not what we want and it’s not what the fans deserve.

“I can see the fire is still there but we have to show more because it’s not good enough. It’s not easy with a team that’s fighting for the trophy. At least today we showed passion but, overall, not good enough.”

Asked if he hoped the club would bring in fresh faces after a gruelling schedule across competitions, Guimaraes said: “I hope so.

“I cannot comment too much as I’m just a player but I think we have to improve a lot of things in the club. We need help.”