EDDIE HOWE has confirmed he was not one of the ten people reportedly interviewed by the Football Association for the England job, but the Newcastle United boss is hoping the appointment of Thomas Tuchel will draw a line under the “unwanted distraction” of the speculation over his future.
Tuchel was announced as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor earlier this week, with the FA opting to install an overseas boss rather than turn to a domestic candidate.
As the only Englishman in charge of a side in the top half of the Premier League table, Howe was widely regarded as the leading domestic option to take charge of the national team.
However, while the FA have suggested that ten potential candidates were formally considered, Howe did not receive an approach.
When asked whether or not he was one of the ten people shortlisted, the Newcastle boss replied: “No, I wasn’t, no”. Then, when asked whether there had been any contact at all from the FA, Howe added: “No.”
That will come as a surprise to many, with the FA seemingly having completely ignored the English candidate with the most compelling CV. Howe has earned deserved respect for his work at both Bournemouth and Newcastle, was managing in the Champions League last season and has repeatedly highlighted his love of English football and devotion to the national team.
Prising Howe from St James’ Park would have been costly given that the 46-year-old’s Newcastle contract is understood to feature a £6m buyout clause that the FA would have had to honour, but the governing body’s failure to even investigate the situation or seek to hold any talks with Howe is baffling.
Newcastle’s sporting director, Paul Mitchell, hinted that the club would not stand in Howe’s way if he wanted to speak to the FA over England when he addressed the issue earlier this summer, so to not follow that up with some kind of inquiry seems bizarre when the FA have devoted so much time, energy and money to the supposed promotion of English coaches.
Howe has never hidden the fact that he believes the England manager should be English. He was at pains to wish Tuchel good luck at his press conference ahead of Newcastle’s game with Brighton, and insists he does not feel slighted by the FA’s unwillingness to speak to him about succeeding Southgate. Nevertheless, the way in which the recruitment process has unfolded does not paint the FA in a particularly good light.
“Firstly, speaking about Thomas himself, I’ve got a relationship with Thomas,” said Howe. “I was fortunate enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work, and what a brilliant guy, what a great person, what a great coach.
“I had two days with him and thought he was fascinating, really enjoyed his company, so I wish him well. I think he’s a great appointment and I hope he leads England to many trophies.
“I have always said – and I’ve been very clear on this whenever I’ve been asked going back years and years – my preference would have been for an English coach, but if you are going to go foreign, go for one of the best and I certainly think Thomas is that.
“England have to do what is right for them, and only they will know the processes they’ve gone through and decisions they’ve made. I’m certainly not the type of person that’s going to analyse that. For me, it’s about Newcastle, it’s about trying to win games and it’s hard enough to do that if you’re 100 per cent focused, and I have always remained that way to my work.”
Nevertheless, while Howe insists he was not affected by the speculation linking him with a possible Newcastle exit, he concedes the ongoing uncertainty was an unwelcome distraction.
Off the pitch, this has been a chaotic few months for the Magpies, with key backroom changes, tensions behind the scenes, a scramble to avoid a PSR penalty and questions over Howe’s position combining to create a sense of instability. Howe is hoping the end of the England speculation brings at least one of those issues to an end.
“There was no one more pleased than me to see Thomas get the job,” he said. “It’s just a distraction – not that it distracts me, but you can see it’s unsettling at times when certain things are said and written about.
“Would it be better if there was less external noise? Absolutely. I don’t think the issue or the distraction is ever for me, it’s more the players, they’re the only people who ever concern me.
“No doubt they will read stuff and hear stuff, and it’s what effect it has on them. For me, I know my own work ethic and standards, and I know that it takes a lot to move me from anything that I’m focused on. It’s more the players who are always the concern.”
Be the first to comment