The £Billion expenditure – Reality for Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe won’t be bothered about it.

The endless debate that is raging amongst Newcastle United fans about results and performances.

However, I thought I would add my take on it all, when it comes to Eddie Howe and this season.

For me it is all quite straightforward.

Just like any other manager, Eddie Howe could have done some things better this season with the benefit of hindsight, which I am sure even he would agree with. However, overall I fail to see how anybody else could have done any better in these circumstances that the NUFC boss has been faced with this season.

Which brings me to Monday night and this Chelsea game.

I find it absolutely bizarre that a number of Newcastle supporters are choosing this particular performance and result, as the one to make big issue out of it, to make a stand.

That stand having been to argue that this Chelsea match is the ‘proof’ of Eddie Howe doing a substandard job at our club.

I just find it beyond belief.

For starters, Gordon injured from the very start and then conceding that laughable goal, the combination of those two things absolutely threw Eddie Howe under a bus, in terms of any plans he’d prepared for this Chelsea match. Never mind the underlying situation.

By the underlying situation, I mean that on the one hand you had Chelsea, a club who have spent a £Billion since Eddie Howe arrived at Newcastle United.

A few other stats (via Transfermarkt) relating to the players Chelsea actually used on Monday night…

£613m – How much the 14 players Pochettino used on Monday night, cost in transfer fees.

£352m – Pochettino had his first choice front six midfielders and attackers available, that is what they cost in transfer fees.

£475m – This is the amount spent in transfer fees on the nine midfielders and attacking players used on Monday, when you include the three subs Chelsea brought on.

Then you have Newcastle United.

This was the starting eleven and subs used and unused against Chelsea:

Dubravka, Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn (Krafth 69), Longstaff, Bruno (White 81), Willock (Miley 80), Almiron (Anderson 69), Gordon (Murphy 36), Isak Unused subs: Karius, Lascelles, Ritchie, Targett

Some stats to pick out:

5 – The number of this starting 11 that Eddie Howe inherited when he took over at Newcastle back in 2021.

6 – This increasing to half a dozen when Gordon forced off and replaced by Murphy.

8 – The number of NUFC players on the pitch at the end of the match who Howe inherited.

10 – The number of NUFC players used by Eddie Howe on the night who he inherited.

12 – The number of NUFC players in his matchday squad v Chelsea, that Eddie Howe inherited.

Eddie Howe has made so many players look far better than they did before he arrived BUT he isn’t a miracle worker.

So many of those players he inherited are very limited and in many cases not really good enough.

However, he has got a tune out of so many of them enough times, for seemingly some people not to be able to differentiate between proper quality players and those who are not.

Eddie Howe was missing England internationals Barnes, Wilson, Trippier, Pope, Brazil international Joelinton and Italy international Tonali.

You then add in Gordon knackered from the start of the Chelsea game and Willock still working towards full fitness and form. Same with Anderson and Targett.

You aren’t left with an awful lot really.

Yet so many of Howe’s critics would have it that this was a really strong team / squad and how terrible it is that they didn’t automatically do better.

They could have done better and on another night I would hope they could do so.

However, it is the equivalent in many cases with some of these players of having to roll a dice and get a 6 each time for them to be good enough.

That is the reality for Eddie Howe.