Eddie Howe’s future at Newcastle United will not be decided until the end of the season.
Despite Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, it is Sky Sports newsUnderstanding that Howe’s future remains something that will be discussed at the end of the campaign and that no immediate action will be taken.
Newcastle currently have no plans to change their manager, although an end-of-season will be carried out as normal.
CEO David Hopkinson said after the Sunderland game that it was not yet time to discuss Howe’s future – and it is understood that remains the case.
“I don’t have a view on his future,” Hopkinson said after the Tyne-Wear derby.
“Eddie is our manager. I expect to have a good run to the end of the season here and we will talk about the future when the time comes.
“Right now we are focused on this season’s competition.”
Newcastle have lost twice more since the Sunderland game, against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, putting pressure on Howe with sections of the support unhappy. The Magpies sit 14th in the Premier League table, which would be their lowest position since they were relegated at the end of the 2015/16 season.
They are 13 points behind the Champions League places and six from the other European places.
Shearer: Players have thrown Howe under the bus – he’s leaving
Newcastle’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer defended Howe after the defeat to Bournemouth, claiming the players have thrown their boss under the bus in recent weeks.
He also predicted that the slide will eventually result in Howe leaving St James’ Park.
“Have you seen it?” Shearer said of the Bournemouth game on Rest is Football podcast. “I would say I was lucky enough but I sat and watched it and the players were terrible.
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Sandro Tonali has been one of several key players linked with a move away from Newcastle.
“As hard as it is for Eddie, I don’t know what’s going to happen to him. I listened to his interview afterwards and I saw him on the sidelines and I’m just thinking, does he want to go again? Will he get the chance to go again?
“There’s so many moving parts to it for him. All things being equal, yeah, I’d like him to [stay]. But does he feel he will get the chance? Will he do it again? Should Newcastle sell?
“If he has money to spend and he doesn’t have to sell then yes. But I watched the players yesterday and if that’s what they call fighting for their manager because he’s under huge pressure, like it or not, they were terrible. They threw him under the bus, the players. The performance was c**p from every single one of them.
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Eddie Howe admitted after the defeat to Crystal Palace that his side were letting the fans down with their current form.
“It’s a tough situation, a tough summer for Newcastle coming up. They have some big decisions to make. Sitting here, unfortunately, I don’t see Eddie as manager of Newcastle next season.
“I look at his post-match interview and I’m not sure the match is there. It’s a very different club now to the one he wants to go forward. He doesn’t look in a good position.”