EDDIE HOWE is happy to snub England and stay “committed” to Newcastle – as long as he continues to be supported.
The Football Association are now officially advertising for Gareth Southgate’s replacement and the Newcastle boss ticks a lot of the boxes.
Southgate’s resignation on Tuesday instantly led to Howe and unemployed Graham Potter being installed as bookies favourites for the job.
Newcastle issued a hands-off warning to the FA by revealing that their manager had signed a multi-year contract extension with them last summer that does not have a set figure release clause.
Magpies CEO Darren Eales also vowed to fight to hang on to the ex-Bournemouth man and said that he still believes the 46-year-old is the “right man for the project”.
Howe has now finally broken his silence and addressed his future as he spoke to reporters at the Toon’s pre-season training camp in Germany on Friday.
And he was adamant that he needs to continue feeling backed by Newcastle’s Saudi owners and chiefs.
Howe said: “For me, being very proud to be Newcastle manager, this is all about Newcastle.
“It’s not about England so as long as I’m happy, feel supported, feel free to work in a way that I want to work, I’ve not thought of anything else other than Newcastle.
“I absolutely love the club. I love the supporters. I love where I am at in my career. There’s no better place for me to be. That’s how I feel.
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“I hope that from the answer that I’ve just given that there’s everything you need to know in there.
“For me, it’s not about England. England is absolutely someone else’s conversation. It’s not mine. Mine is Newcastle.
“To speak about something else while manager of Newcastle is wrong. I don’t think I have to say the answer again. The answer is clear.”
It has been a summer of upheaval and change at the North East giants as Howe’s key allies Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi have both left.
And with Dan Ashworth’s exit for Manchester United now done, that has led to Paul Mitchell and James Bunce arriving as sporting and performance director respectively.
Howe, who has not worked with either before, admitted that “boundaries of relationships and how they’re going to work are slightly unclear”.
But when pressed again on whether he would still be in charge for Newcastle’s opening day Premier League home clash with Southampton, he reiterated: “As long as I’m happy in the position I’ve been.
“As long as I feel supported by the football club and free to work in the way that I want to work, yes. That’s the crucial thing.
“There’s been a lot of change at the football club this summer. It’s been a very difficult summer for everyone connected with the club because with change comes a new feeling so you can point to PSR, Amanda and Mehrdad, a change in sporting director, which, of course, influences me.
“These are all big changes and that’s why I’ve made the points that I have because this has to work for Newcastle.
The FA's seven requirements to succeed Gareth Southgate:
“It’s not about me as the manager. I’m slightly irrelevant. It’s about making sure Newcastle United is as strong as it can be for the next season and beyond. We’ve all got to come together to be the force that we want to be.”
Howe added: “I absolutely want to stay, but it has to be right for me and the football club. You have to understand, there’s no point me saying, ‘I’m absolutely going to stay’ if the dynamic is not right and it’s not going to work. I’m not serving Newcastle well if I do that.
“It’s been a difficult summer in various aspects, no one more important than the other, but as a new team coming together we have to set our boundaries.
“We have to see if we can work together in a really fluid, dynamic way to the benefit of Newcastle.
“I’m working every day with the new people to see if the relationships can be beneficial to Newcastle.
“The transfer window is absolutely massive. That’s no criticism of anyone who has come in. I want to make that absolutely clear.
“Paul Mitchell has an outstanding record as a sporting director, he’s dynamic, he’s very strong, I think he’s exactly the sort of person Newcastle need to take the club forward.
By Tom Barclay
Gareth Southgate claimed that only winning Sunday’s final would earn England the respect of the footballing world.
Spain proved a last-gasp comeback too far in Berlin, but defeat did not change the fact that Southgate’s eight-year transformation put respect back into the world of England football.
Critics will pick apart his cautious tactics, his selection choices and his record in the most high-pressurised games – with some legitimacy.
Yet what is quickly forgotten is the laughing stock our national side had become before he took over in 2016.
A shambolic Euros exit to Iceland that summer had been followed up by Sam Allardyce quitting just one game into his tenure thanks to his pint of wine with undercover reporters.
Then came Southgate, with his decency, his humility, his understated eloquence and his vision for a better, different future.
He had analysed why England had so often failed in the past, from lack of preparation at penalty shoot-outs to players being bored out of their minds during major tournaments.
Southgate took those findings and implemented a culture where players wanted to play for their country again – and it led to back-to-back finals for the first time in our history.
Instead of going to war with the media, he opened his doors to them and discovered, shock, horror, that it was met, generally, with support.
It did not stop him from being criticised when required – we are no cheerleaders, here – but the vitriol of yesteryear – or today on social media – was largely gone.
No manager is perfect and neither was Southgate. We cannot pretend his teams played like those of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
But in the fullness of time, his feats will likely be revered because the results speak for themselves.
Hopefully his successor can go one step further and bring football home.
To do that, they must show respect to what Southgate has created and build on it, rather than rip it down.
To read more from Tom Barclay click HERE.
“I’ve absolutely no issues with anyone personally but of course we move together, we have to be able to work together in key relationships for the football club.
“I’m not talking about England. England is not even my focus – it’s all about Newcastle it has been all summer.”
The FA outlined that the new man’s primary role will be to “lead and develop the England senior men’s team to win a major tournament”.
Candidates should have a Uefa pro coaching license and significant experience of English football – both of which Howe possesses.
They also want an “exceptional leader” with “strong personal values and integrity” that is “highly resilient” to deal with the “intense public scrutiny” that comes with the role.
And Wembley chiefs also want someone with a “track record of creating a high performing and positive team culture”.
