The first order of business for Newcastle United is to sack Steve Bruce. The second order of business for the front office is to call Eddie Howe and offer him the managerial role at Newcastle United. The rumor mill will overflow with random names this summer, but Howe is the man most fans, myself included, want at St. James’ Park.
The only other manager not named Rafa Benitez the Toon Army would be excited for is Steven Gerrard, but would the former Liverpool legend abandon Rangers after reaching new heights with the Scottish giants this season? Probably not.
Howe, on the other hand, is still unemployed and remains patient with his job hunt. It is almost as if he is waiting for Bruce to get the pink slip, so he can jump on this opportunity. Whenever Howe’s name is mentioned to replace Bruce, some fans like to take jabs at the fact that Bournemouth were relegated under Howe’s watch.
Yes, that is true, but Bournemouth were built to be a League One side at best, yet he carried the Cherries to the top flight from League Two and kept them there for five years. It is also worth noting that his team should still be in the Premier League today, but Aston Villa were saved by a glitch in goal-line technology against Sheffield United.
Eddie Howe is the best candidate to guide Newcastle United to the Top 10.
Statistics do not lie and they outline important trends in football. That being said, here are some impressive statistics that show why Howe is the right man for the Newcastle United job. His emphasis on keeping possession and throwing bodies forward to create as many chances as possible would only bring the best out of Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, and Allan Saint-Maximin.
"*Note: All of the statistics below were taken from the Premier League website (filtered over five seasons)."
In his five seasons in charge of Bournemouth in the Premier League, Howe’s men managed to score 55 or more goals on two occasions and averaged 48 goals per campaign. Newcastle United have only averaged 39 goals per season since earning promotion, and this term they only have 27 in 26 games.
In addition to goals, Bournemouth averaged just under 12 shot attempts per game, which is a reflection of their confidence in taking the game to the opposition. The Magpies have played in far too many games where you could count their chances on one hand. That needs to change.
Another area in which Howe excelled with Bournemouth is ball distribution. Twice in five seasons Bournemouth completed over 17,000 passes. Over a five-year period, the Cherries averaged 16,238 passes per season, which equates to an average of 427 passes per game.
Defensively, Bournemouth have conceded quite a bit under Howe, but the Magpies’ back-line would be the best Howe has ever managed, at least on paper. Despite only having a mediocre defense at his disposal, Bournemouth still averaged just under eight clean sheets per season.
Overall, Howe is the real deal. Any team would be lucky to land his services, but Newcastle United need his services. The front office needs to understand that Howe would be a major upgrade compared to Bruce, and he is capable of reaching new heights with this squad.