EDDIE HOWE was whizzed to his press conference in a GOLF BUGGY on Friday morning.
And fans joked Profit and Sustainability rules must be hitting Newcastle hard after the Magpies were forced to sell players this summer to comply with regulations.
While Prem bosses often drive flash motors or enjoy luxury chauffeuring to training – Howe ditched such lavish optics.
The Toon boss opted for a quick spin in a golf cart as he headed to speak to the press ahead of Newcastle’s clash against his former side Bournemouth on Sunday.
Howe looked comfortable in the passenger seat of the green buggy as one of his loyal coaching staff cruised behind the wheel.
A small group of locals lined the entrance gate while safety stewards in orange high-vis guided Howe’s small vehicle through.
And footie fans from all sides jumped at the chance to poke fun at Howe’s motor.
One X user wrote: “PSR hitting hard Newcastle now!”
A second said: “Such vibes. They can’t be spending too much on travel.”
A third joked: “Is he filming the new Jurassic Park?”
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While another added: “Is Howe injured or something?”
PSR has somewhat blunted Newcastle’s planned progress in the top-flight after a sensational campaign in 2022/23 that saw them secure Champions League football for the first since in 20 years.
The Magpies became the richest club in football following the takeover of the Saudi Arabia-backed consortium in 2021, who hired Howe.
But the fresh strict enforcement of financial rules has forced the club to sell young stars – often reluctantly- to avoid falling foul of the PSR regulations.
Newcastle, like all Premier League sides, are allowed to make losses of up to £105m over a rolling three-year period.
The Magpies sold Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton, for a combined fee of around £68million.
Those sales, coupled with a compensation fee being agreed for sporting director Dan Ashworth to join Manchester United, ensured they were within that limit.
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Kieran Trippier reportedly wants to leave Newcastle before the transfer window closes.
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Alan Shearer claimed the rules are anti-competitive.
He said Newcastle and Aston Villa are having to sell their best players when they are trying to challenge with the traditional big six clubs.
Shearer, 54, said: “Those PSR rules don’t sit easy with me. If Newcastle hadn’t sold Minteh and Anderson, they would have had to sell one of their bigger players to one of the big clubs.
“What chance have you got? What message is that sending out? The rules just don’t sit comfortably with me at all.
“And Villa have had to sell Douglas Luiz to Juventus because of PSR.”
Chelsea, Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Forest and Leicester were all under pressure of losing key assets before June 30 this summer.
Meanwhile at the press conference itself, Howe said that he was shocked by reports that Kieran Trippier wants to leave the club.
Howe added: “The situation is business as usual, Tripps has trained really well this week. I’m surprised by a lot of the stories that have come out.
“He’s a valuable member of the squad. His professionalism has been first class.”
Trippier has been linked with a move to Everton to reunite with Sean Dyche, who managed him for three years at Burnley.
