Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is reeling from his side's crushing 3-2 home defeat to Brentford, leaving him to confront the harsh reality of his team's plummeting form.
The Saudi Arabian-owned club's fourth straight loss in five games has left them languishing 12th in the Premier League, with a soundtrack of boos echoing around St James' Park as the final whistle blew. However, Howe refused to take issue with the fans' sentiment, acknowledging that they were justified in expressing their discontent.
"I don't blame the supporters for expressing their feelings," he admitted. "We've had a run of games where we haven't played as well as we can and got punished. There's nothing else to do but accept responsibility for it." The manager laid the blame squarely at his own feet, stating that he needs to work harder and take full accountability for every aspect of the team's performance.
"We only have ourselves to blame," he said. "It's not good enough and it's been out of character." For Howe, accepting the reality of his side's struggles is the only way forward. He vowed to scrutinize himself even more intensely, seeking ways to improve and prevent similar defeats in the future.
"It's a harsh reality for me – I've got to think long and hard about what needs to change," he said, admitting that the pressure he puts on himself was extreme. "I'm annoyed with myself, angry with myself... it's my job to take full responsibility." The manager is now turning his attention to the players, demanding they be honest with themselves about their form and work towards restoring the team's signature physicality.
"We've got a mentality issue, I don't think it's an ability issue," Howe said. "So we have to look at ourselves and show real character and strength." The defeat has also highlighted a worrying trend of Newcastle deteriorating after taking an early lead, with the manager struggling to pinpoint the cause. Ultimately, he attributes the team's struggles to a lack of physical aggression, which is essential for their style of play.
"The trademark physicality that we're used to wasn't there," Howe said. "It only takes one or two players to be off physically for that to break down." With Newcastle staring up at Brentford in terms of form, the pressure on the manager has never been greater. Can he restore his team's confidence and regain their winning ways? Only time will tell.
The Saudi Arabian-owned club's fourth straight loss in five games has left them languishing 12th in the Premier League, with a soundtrack of boos echoing around St James' Park as the final whistle blew. However, Howe refused to take issue with the fans' sentiment, acknowledging that they were justified in expressing their discontent.
"I don't blame the supporters for expressing their feelings," he admitted. "We've had a run of games where we haven't played as well as we can and got punished. There's nothing else to do but accept responsibility for it." The manager laid the blame squarely at his own feet, stating that he needs to work harder and take full accountability for every aspect of the team's performance.
"We only have ourselves to blame," he said. "It's not good enough and it's been out of character." For Howe, accepting the reality of his side's struggles is the only way forward. He vowed to scrutinize himself even more intensely, seeking ways to improve and prevent similar defeats in the future.
"It's a harsh reality for me – I've got to think long and hard about what needs to change," he said, admitting that the pressure he puts on himself was extreme. "I'm annoyed with myself, angry with myself... it's my job to take full responsibility." The manager is now turning his attention to the players, demanding they be honest with themselves about their form and work towards restoring the team's signature physicality.
"We've got a mentality issue, I don't think it's an ability issue," Howe said. "So we have to look at ourselves and show real character and strength." The defeat has also highlighted a worrying trend of Newcastle deteriorating after taking an early lead, with the manager struggling to pinpoint the cause. Ultimately, he attributes the team's struggles to a lack of physical aggression, which is essential for their style of play.
"The trademark physicality that we're used to wasn't there," Howe said. "It only takes one or two players to be off physically for that to break down." With Newcastle staring up at Brentford in terms of form, the pressure on the manager has never been greater. Can he restore his team's confidence and regain their winning ways? Only time will tell.
I'm actually kinda feeling bad for Eddie Howe right now... like, yeah his team lost bigly, but the guy is taking all the heat for it & owning up to it. 12th in the league ain't ideal, but you can't deny he's being super transparent about what went wrong. He's on the hot seat, but I think that's a sign of leadership, not weakness 
. I'm curious to see how he reworks his team & gets them back on track... might be tough, but it's gonna be interesting to watch him try 
, I mean... interesting 
, how does one guy take so much responsibility for a whole team's performance? The pressure on Eddie Howe must be mental, but I guess it's true what they say - you reap what you sow, right? 
He needs to dig deep and find some answers, pronto 
!
eddie howe is being super real about his team's struggles... i feel for the guy, 4 straight losses in 5 games is brutal 
but at least he's owning up to it & taking responsibility 
we need more leaders like him who aren't afraid to admit when they're wrong 
anyway, gotta wonder what changes he'll make to the team's dynamic... maybe some new playing style or training methods will do the trick 
. The physicality thing is a good point - it's one of their strengths, so when that's lacking, it's hard to see them beating many teams.
. But at the end of the day, it's up to the players to step up and show what they're capable of 
. Can't have the manager doing all the work alone, right? The fans are already behind him, so if he can get the team back on track, that'll be a major boost 
.
and it's hard to blame them, newcastle united is having a pretty rough patch 
they've lost 4 games in a row which is just devastating for the team and their fans... i feel bad for him though 'cause he's taking all the blame on himself 
but at the same time, he can't just point fingers at other people, it's his job to figure out what went wrong and make changes 
I feel bad for Eddie Howe & the lads at Newcastle... 4 losses in a row is a tough pill to swallow. As someone who's been around, I know how hard it is to accept when things aren't going your way. It takes guts to take responsibility like that, but it shows he's still got his head in the game 
. The key now is to get back to basics & focus on getting that physical aggression back - if they can do that, I think they'll start winning again 
. But for now, it's all about learning from mistakes & moving forward... easier said than done, I know 
.
. But at the same time, you can feel the desperation in his words... like he's trying to convince himself as much as anyone else that things are gonna get better 
. It's all about getting back to what made Newcastle United successful in the first place - that physicality 
. Howe can't hide behind "we're not playing well" anymore, he needs to make some real changes 
, they deserve better than this. Howe should be focusing on getting his players back in shape, not just himself 
. It's high time for a change at St James' Park 
️.
The way Howe is taking responsibility for the team's struggles is super relatable 
. The lack of physical aggression is a major issue 
, and if he can fix that, things might start looking up 
. I think the players need to step up too 
!
and man eddie howe is taking the heat for this 3-2 loss to brentford 
12th in the league and now they're getting booed by their own fans 
might need some serious changes on the team or coaching staff for them to turn things around 
he needs to get the players to step up their game too, that mentality issue is real