Eddie Howe says he would step down if he didn’t feel he was the right man to lead Newcastle

Eddie Howe says he would step down from the job if he didn’t feel he was the right man to lead Newcastle United.

The 48 year old said “I’m not doing my job well enough” reflected after Newcastle’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford at the weekend, the game seeing boos at half time and full time.

He and his side have a tough period of three consecutive defeats, only one win in the last nine games, , though in this presser, he appeared more resilient and determined compared to his downbeat post-Brentford comments.

“No doubt in my mind, that’s why i’m sat here”

Eddie Howe says he would ‘step aside’ if he didn’t feel he was the right man to lead Newcastle United 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/xzegVU7RoJ

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 9, 2026

Keith Downie said: “I think you probably need to ask him that direct question [if his job is safe] yourself as to how confident he is. The feeling I got from him this morning, was that he’d kind of parked Saturday.

“He was very downbeat, I would suggest, in the press conference after the 3-2 defeat to Brentford, of course that being Newcastle’s third defeat on the bounce.

“They’ve only won one in the last nine and they’re now 10 points below the Champions League places.

“Look, he was very honest, he was very open. He said on Saturday, I’m clearly not doing my job properly, I need to go away and have a look at myself. So he’s had 24 hours or so until his next press conference.

“Of course the schedule for Newcastle right now is absolutely brutal. But it sounded today like he was coming out fighting. I didn’t feel as though he feels as though he’s under pressure from the sack.

“It felt more like he was under pressure from himself. The kind of rhetoric, the narrative today around his press conference and his answers were more along the lines of if he didn’t feel that he was able to do his job to the best of his ability, he would walk rather than be sacked. That was the nature of his comments this morning.

“So he fielded a number of questions on that. I have to say his demeanour was very different to that, what we saw post-match on Saturday. Of course, as I say, he has parts.

“He’s trying to move on to the next game, which is Spurs away tomorrow. And this is what he had to say. So take a listen to this.

“This is his answers to the questions on his future at his press conference this morning.”

🗣️ “I trust the man with my bank card and PIN number”

Newcastle fan Paul Rutter says Eddie Howe has a ‘lot of credit in the bank’ despite booing from some fans at the weekend. @Fanalysisapp #SkySportsFC pic.twitter.com/J1ucbcE75Y

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 9, 2026

Eddie Howe in his press conference: “No, there’s no doubt in my mind. That’s why I’m sat here. If there was, then I wouldn’t be. Because as I said, the club’s the most important thing. So I’d never put myself before the club if I didn’t think I was the correct man to take the team forward and I could give the players what they need. Then I would step aside and let someone else do it.”

Interviewer: “Is your appetite for this job and your resilience, and you’re talking about resilience there and coming through adversity. Are you still as determined to do that now as you were when you arrived four and a half years ago?”

Eddie: “Yeah, I think I am. I think going back to the previous question, I think the club’s always number one, as I said. And I think you’ve got to, from my perspective, I’ve got to think that I am the right person for the job and I’m giving value and I’m helping the players. And I’m the right person to get results ultimately.

“So as long as I feel that in my heart and in my spirit, then my desire and my motivation levels are as high as they’ve ever been.

“But I think that’s the key question I always have to ask myself. Am I the right person to take the team and the club forward?”

Interviewer: “How long did it take you to decide that on Sunday?”

Eddie: “It’s not something I judge every day. It’s a feeling that you have. And as long as that feeling is there and remains inside of me, I’ll fight every day to the maximum that I can for success for the club.”

Interviewer: “As a coach or a manager, do you almost have to be at your best when you’re up against it a bit?”

Eddie: “Yeah, I think so. I think that’s where your qualities have to come to the fore. Because that’s where everyone is looking at you to set the tone. People want to follow. That’s human nature.

“So if you have strength as a leader in these moments, you can drag everybody with you. And that’s where it’s the most important time to stand up and show your character and to show how much it means to you.”

“I’m not doing my job well enough” – Eddie Howe reflects after Newcastle’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford

Keith Downie on if this the most pressure he’s been under from the fans since he took the job: “Yeah, without doubt.

“And he alluded to that this morning. He said this is probably the lowest point. He has been in the trenches a couple of times already and managed to fight his way out of it.

“I think the difficulty at the moment is one, the relentless schedule that I mentioned earlier. They’ve got a game every three days. At the moment they’re playing six games in 17 days. They’ve not had a free midweek since the November international break.

“Perhaps he might look at it now and think, did he need to go as strong in the Carabao Cup to try and retain it? Getting all the way to that two-legged semi-final, that was a lot of energy, a lot of games. On that run, of course, in the Champions League as well, they’ve got those two extra games.

“And it couldn’t just be against Monaco. They had to draw Carabao. They’ve got a 5,000-mile round trip to Carabao next midweek. So the fixtures have not been kind to him at all. So that hasn’t helped with the tiredness. And he mentioned that the players are suffering from mental tiredness at his press conference this morning.

“Add to that, Tom, last summer recruitment. Five new players arrived at the cost of around £250 million, a real splurge by the football club, given that they hadn’t brought anyone in for three transfer windows before then. They had to get it right.

“And so far, they haven’t. At best, I would say the jury is still out on four out of those five players. Probably only Malick Thiaw has worked out so far. So that’s a lot of money for Newcastle to spend when they’re under the pump with regards to PSR for that to not work.

” Now, had those players all been a success or are being a success right now, Eddie Howe could chop and change and freshen things up. It feels very much like he’s playing right now with last season’s team, minus Alexander Isak, plus Malick Thiaw.

“So it feels very much like last season’s team without his top scorer, Alexander Isak. I think we’re seeing the residual effect of what happened in the summer regarding Isak. That team was built around him.

“It was all built to service him. The focal point is now gone. He’s brought in Ioan Wissa and Nick Woltemade to replace Alexander Isak. One of them has one goal in 10. The other has two goals in 19. So neither of the strikers firing at the moment, which isn’t helping matters.

“And the issues of last summer’s transfer window, the recruitment, which of course Eddie will have to take responsibility for coming home to roost now.

“But to answer your question, yeah, I think this is the most pressure he’s felt. But as he said there, he puts that pressure on himself. That doesn’t come from above. That comes from within.

“But I think as far as Newcastle fans need to be concerned and to think about, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Careful what you wish for.

“Only 11 months ago, Eddie Howe was on this massive banner from the hotel across the road from the stadium as the team went round on an open-top bus in front of 300,000 Newcastle supporters celebrating the Carabao Cup success, their first trophy in seven long decades. That was the manager that brought that trophy back to the football club.

“Now, we know football moves on quickly. I feel very much like Eddie Howe should have had a lot of credit in the bank as a result of that.

“But of course, the fans are seeing what they’re seeing on the pitch and they’re not happy. It was the first time I’ve heard audible boos, not just at half-time, but at full-time in that 3-2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday.

“And with four away games coming up, Tottenham tomorrow, Villa on Saturday in the FA Cup, Carabao over in Baku next midweek, and then straight back from that, down to the Etihad again to play Manchester City, you don’t really see where the next win’s going to come from. And that is the problem.

“It feels like this situation could potentially get a little bit worse before it gets better. So, real pressure on at this moment in time. But I have to say, Eddie Howe this morning at his press conference, in comparison to what we heard from him on Saturday, really did come out fighting and it felt like he’d parked that honesty and maybe slight negativity that we heard from him on Saturday after the Brentford defeat.”