Eddie Howe Addresses Team Fitness, Trophy Aspirations, and Club Financial Realities

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe addressed the media in advance of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final fixture against Brentford, scheduled for a 19:45 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Howe confirmed that the team currently possesses a “clean bill of health” following Saturday’s match. Regarding Sven Botman’s return to play for the Under-21s on Monday evening, Howe stated: “He seemed in a really good place and it’s always a big step, playing your first game. He looked good on the pitch, his movement was good. It was typical Sven. He’s a massive player for us and we’ve missed him but he’s still got a little bit to go before he’s available for selection.” The manager of the Magpies anticipates the defender will remain unavailable for first-team selection until “the end of December to the beginning of January,” though he noted they are “still on track with the plan.” Addressing their recent 4-2 Premier League loss to Brentford, Howe commented that his squad “fell below our levels, especially defensively” during that encounter. However, he acknowledged that the Bees possess “various threats for us to nullify” if Newcastle aims to secure victory in the quarter-final. He described the team’s season-long inconsistency as “a frustration for all of us. We don’t want to take two steps back each time [we win],” but emphasized that they “know the importance of this game, it is not lost on any of us and we want to see that consistency in performances.” Regarding the significance of winning the club’s first major trophy in 69 years, Howe stated: “The willingness has been there from other [Newcastle] teams, but we want to be the one who gets over the line and to achieve something special. But winning these competitions is difficult, we won’t take anything for granted. We know if we can hit correct levels of performance then we can be a match for anyone.” Howe expressed his belief that there has not been a “lowering of expectations” for winning silverware at the club despite current financial regulations. He added that he always prefers to think “the impossible is possible, especially with my players – I wish them to believe we can achieve anything.” When asked if associated party transaction rules have complicated Newcastle’s pursuit of trophies such as the Premier League title, Howe responded: “I would say it has a dramatic effect on the speed of that journey. I can’t deny that that has dramatically changed due to the rules. You can feel that change, especially as people have got to grips of PSR and reality of it.” He further elaborated: “There is nothing more sobering than the thought of points deduction to changing what you have to do to comply. That has been the biggest change in our reality and what we can an can’t do, and effected our ability to change things as quick as possible from view of winning trophies.”