Another Newcastle defeat means time to go BIG on Eddie Howe might be about right

Eddie Howe's Newcastle United falled to a sixth defeat in seven games as Nottingham Forest sealed a 3-1 comeback win in the Saint James' Park, adding to their Champions League and Carabao Cup elimination in December while they continue to drop down the Premier League table.

Credits to the Englishman, however, he is not in an elite level. A project like Newcastle United's is in a stage where you say thank you very much to Eddie Howe, a bid him farewell.

It was a miracle, what the former AFC Bournemouth boss has done in his just more than two years at the helm of affairs in Tyneside and after the club failed to make the statement upon their UEFA Champions League qualification, the time couldn't be more right.

Eddie Howe took charge of Newcastle United when the club was deep down the bottom of the Premier League standing and helped them become the first-ever to avoid relegation having not won a single game up until Gameweek 14 in the competition's history.

Newcastle United finished eleventh in the 2021-22 season, which was a remarkable feat given how poor they started the campaign under Steve Bruce and then Graeme Jones.

Followin the completion of the take-over, many had thought the club would go for a big name manager with rich reputation but Eddie Howe proved he deserved a chance. He earned it to be fair.

However, consistency was always going to be a major upset, because not so much has been expected of him on his previous undertakings, and this new pressure can be consuming.

In his first full season at the club, Newcastle got to the final of the Carabao Cup, where they unfortunately lost to Manchester United in Wembley.

At the end of the campaign, they sealed a return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 20 years. It was the best time to part companies with Howe but since the ovation is so high, they were tempted to let him overstay.

In the summer of 2022, the 46-year-old signed a contract extension until 2024 and after the top four finish in 2022-23, the decision proved a brilliant one but the vision of the owner will always mean the club will need a manager with more on his resume than Howe.

This season has not been too good as they've not been very consistent, and that saw them blow a promising advantage in their Champions League group and ended up exiting Europe completely.

Newscastle are now with just a win in their last seven games, losing six and in that period they have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup on penalties this month, by a Chelsea side that has been underwhelming all season.

Way forward for Newcastle United 

Before all of Eddie Howe's good work is undone, it is right that the club understands the demands of the ambition is bigger than keeping personnels base on emotion.

Ruthlessness is sometimes key to making the best decision. Eddie Howe has done well as the forebearer of the new era at the club but it is time to proceed to the next stage of the process, if not already overdue.

Now winless in three, the Magpies drops to eight on the log and could still go further down before the end of the Gameweek should Brighton come out on top in their home meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.

With the fixtures coming thick and fast, disaster is not always too farfetched and it a stitch is not made in time, it could be too late to save even less than nine.

They travel to an on form Liverpool side on new year's eve. That's a side they've not beaten in their last 14 attempts and a ground they've won recorded a league win since April 1994.

There's not much to be optimistic about for Newcastle United ahead of the meeting with Liverpool very much on form and rarely drop points at home, a long night awaits Howe's men in Anfield.

Injury has not been kind to Newcastle as well but in a very competitive league like the Premier League and the company of elites the club wants to be, there's absolutely no excuse for failure and that is a fact the club, manager and players must embrace.

Hassan Afolabi