Alan Shearer has revealed if he believes Newcastle United should fire Eddie Howe if they lose to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle have lost seven of their past eight games and things only appear to be getting tougher with three major games on the horizon.
Shearer argued on The Rest Is Football podcast that Howe should have enough credit in the bank to preserve his job even if January goes horribly wrong, though the heat will undoubtedly be on.
Shearer believes Howe should stay regardless of the outcome of the match.
It’s impossible to anticipate right now because Newcastle is having their worst season under Howe, so the derby game has arguably come at the worst possible time for the Magpies.
The squad is currently lacking confidence and will be looking to utilize this as a springboard to kick off the second half of their season, almost as if it were a new beginning.
If they lose, they will play an in-form Manchester City team before traveling to Aston Villa, so any pressure Howe is already experiencing will only increase.
Football fans have short memories, and a loss to Sunderland could rapidly turn things sour, but Shearer believes the 46-year-old will still be employed come January, even if he loses all three games, and Gary Lineker agrees.
“It’s worrying,” Shearer stated on the program. They are shipping targets for entertainment purposes. “From what was a great strength of theirs last season, where they looked really tight and compact, to now, and certainly the last five or six weeks, they are so open and giving the opposition so many chances.”Another issue is that teams are passing right through the middle. They appear to be defensively deficient in the minutes, not just the back four, but also the protection they are receiving.
“In regards to Eddie. Yes, this is most likely the first test, but is he under pressure? I believe he has enough in the bank, and he should for what he has done for the football club.
“I know they have Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime, which is a big game, and then they have City and Villa as their next two league games.” Even if the worst happens, he has enough money in the bank to keep going and do what he needs to do because he deserves that time.”
He went on to say: “I can’t think for a minute that they would possibly consider changing at this point, he has been superb.”
Howe has always triumphed over hardship.
Howe has consistently able to pull himself and the club back up after a difficult situation, whether it’s a large defeat or losing in the Carabao Cup final, throughout his two years as Newcastle manager.
Last season, in particular, the club was great at mounting comebacks both inside games and from week to week; they never appeared to be completely down and out.
This year, however, we’re seeing their heads droop a little more frequently; whether this is due to exhaustion and the number of injuries is debatable, but it’s a far cry from what they were doing in the previous Premier League season.
