For some reason, be it boredom or just a desire to upset the Geordies, a story surfaced this week alleging that the Newcastle United hierarchy will be looking to dump Eddie Howe in the close season to bring in Jose Mourinho as their long-term manager.
With the all the work Eddie Howe has done behind the scenes, coupled with the phenomenal turnaround in fortunes since his arrival, it’s hard to imagine there’s even a grain of truth in this report. Eddie Howe himself has issued a “Gerroff my job” warning to Mourinho by saying he plans to be at Newcastle for years to come.
Speaking to The Mirror, Howe said “People are going to get linked with the job. I have no issue with that. People talk. All I can do while I am here is do my best every day.” When asked if Mourinho could land it, he laughed: “Well, I hope not!”
Eddie Howe: Here for the long term.
When the story first appeared, Newcastle fans reacted with a collective eye-roll followed by a chorus of “No thanks!”. For all Mourinho has a tenuous link with Newcastle having been lectured on the club many times by Sir Bobby Robson, fans are unconvinced he’s the right man for the long-term. Many people citing that Mourinho’s style of play is too boring and noting that his last couple of Premier League ventures didn’t exactly pan out as the main reasons for not wanting the change.
Conversely, Eddie Howe has won over the Toon Army, is a manager on the rise and has brought a brand of exciting football back to St James’ Park and has said on numerous occasions that they’re still a long way from playing how he wants. If that doesn’t sound like a project worth sticking with, I don’t know what does.