Eddie Howe has suffered another blow at Newcastle United as one of their potential Dan Ashworth replacements joins a rival club.
Howe needs all the help he can get at Newcastle at the minute with many questions being asked about his job due to their poor form and latest defeat to Man City dumping them out of the FA Cup.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones suggests that missing out on Richard Hughes to Liverpool is a big blow for Howe as brining in someone he already has a friendship with would have helped massively.
Howe suffers another blow at Newcastle
Howe has had to deal with a lot of obstacles this season which could never have been foreseen by the owners, but losing Ashworth in February when he announced his desire to leave was certainly a big blow.
They then had the opportunity to bring in someone like Hughes who Howe knows well from his time at Bournemouth and would have certainly helped him in the long run if things continue down this current path.
However, it looks like he’s set to join Michael Edwards, another who they want to replace Ashworth, at Liverpool, so Howe has suffered yet another blow in just a matter of weeks.
While the pressure piles on the 46-year-old head coach, it does seem like the owners remain faithful to him which is one positive he can take for the moment, but that won’t last forever if results don’t pick up very soon.
On Howe, Jones said: “Newcastle seem to be going backwards, and part of that is because Howe is a victim of his own success last season. Newcastle probably overachieved, but being in the Champions League and challenging for trophies is where the club aim to be.
“At the moment, they are not close to that and another blow for Howe is the fact that Richard Hughes – a close friend and ally of his in the past at Bournemouth – has opted to join Liverpool.
“Having him at Newcastle could have been helpful towards continuing in the job next season. Let’s see if Newcastle trust him to carry on in charge because it is a pretty big decision they will have to make.”
Howe must win his next two games no matter what
While a lot of the fanbase still believe Howe deserves more time due to the injuries and other things he has had to overcome, for the first time there is just slight sense of discontent starting to creep in.
That may just be coming from social media, but it is still the first time that Howe hasn’t been unanimously adored by the supporters who have defended him for most of this season, especially when things went wrong in the Champions League.
However, with players now recovering from injury, though a few key names are still out, the belief is that Howe can no longer use that as an excuse and it is the performances like the one against Chelsea which left a lot of people scratching their heads.
The two upcoming games at St James’ Park against West ham and Everton are now absolutely crucial – while it’s likely he won’t have to win both to keep his job, if he wants to settle the fanbase he really needs maximum points from these two fixtures.
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