Eddie Howe wants his Newcastle players to become legends on Tyneside, but he knows they will need to compete with Man City and Liverpool for trophies soon
A one-goal loss away from home to the best club side in the world would not usually lead to fan inspection and star players clashing with supporters online - but Newcastle United exist in a new world now.
One where the axis is spinning faster than ever before, and expectation has been sent skyward. A 1-0 defeat at Manchester City is no longer met with sombre acceptance. This, of course, is where the club wants to be.
But for manager Eddie Howe, the biggest threat to his own existence is himself. He is the overriding reason Newcastle’s journey has been accelerated to a land where his team are expected to compete with City.
In truth, the club are trying to keep pace with Howe, not vice-versa. In attempting to satisfy the head coach, the hierarchy have pushed back the guardrails of Financial Fair Play to the extreme of their perimeter this summer, investing £120million (£95m net) in four new players - Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. That would appear modest to many given the riches of the Saudi owners, but the reality of their spending power is very different. In stretching their budget to the maximum, they have achieved the minimum required in deepening a squad about to be plunged into the Champions League.
This is why Howe will be mindful of the fallout that followed last weekend’s game at the Etihad, when one popular fan account invited feedback on Newcastle’s players by asking: ‘Is it too early in the season to start focusing blame on individual players? Was there an overreaction to the loss to Man City?’
One of those pictured was Bruno Guimaraes, who responded by accusing the fans involved of having ‘short, stupid memories’. His tweet was later deleted and Howe said on Friday that the
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