Eddie Howe accepted the boos of Newcastle United’s supporters and conceded for the first time that he has to perform better as head coach.
After a 3-2 defeat by Brentford, in which his side led but took their points lost from winning positions to a league-high 19, Howe gave an honest appraisal of why he and his players must do better.
‘It is hard (to hear the booing), but I don’t blame the supporters for expressing their feelings,’ he said.
‘I think we’ve created that ourselves, to a point, with a run of games where we haven’t played as well as we can and where we’ve defended poorly and got punished. They’re reacting to what we deliver.
‘There’s a harsh reality for me. I’ve got to think long and hard, not about my effort because I can’t question that about myself, but I think I’ve got to work better, I’ve got to do more.
‘I’ve always said the pressure I put on myself couldn’t be more extreme because I demand really high standards from what I’m doing, how I work, what I ask the players to do and I’m obviously not doing my job well enough at the moment.
Eddie Howe accepted the boos of Newcastle supporters and admitted he has to perform better
Newcastle led against Brentford on Saturday but fell to a bruising 3-2 defeat at St James’ Park
‘I’m annoyed with myself, angry with myself, blaming myself, taking full responsibility and accountability on my shoulders, no-one else. I’ve got to take full responsibility for everything you see on the pitch, and I’ve got to work out solutions. I think that’s for me to do.
‘Then, of course, I have to ask the same from the players. I have to ask them to be really honest with themselves and look at their best level, and judge how they’re playing against that now, in this current moment.
‘I don’t think there’s too many that can say they’re playing towards their best. I think that then gives us growth to improve.’
Newcastle have become worse for scoring of late, often conceding soon after.
‘I can’t look at it any differently because that’s what I see as well,’ he said.
‘I’ve got no idea why that would be the case. Scoring a goal should breathe confidence through the team, it’s such a positive and amazing thing when you score and you celebrate together with your supporters.
‘Today that should have been the catalyst for us to go on and play better and control the game more, but it had the opposite effect and that’s happened too many times to us this season.
‘We’ve been worse for scoring and I don’t understand it. Its a very, very difficult thing to work out because I think it’s all in the brain. I don’t think it will be in the brain of all the players, maybe two or three. But that two or three is enough to sway the performance negatively.’
He added: ‘We’re in a negative run of momentum, there’s no denying that. On a different day, with momentum behind us, we would have won today. Sometimes, when you’re in the feeling that we are now, you can lose from positions that you can’t really work out in a game.
‘It is momentum, it is confidence, it is a mentality issue, I don’t think it’s an ability issue. And with that, with the players you lose through injury, your psyche gets damaged slightly. So, we have to look at ourselves and show real character and real strength because that’s the only way for the players to perform at their best levels.’
