Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Irish football legend Shay Given has put Eddie Howe 's exit from Newcastle United down to the change of transfer strategy at the club that has already seen Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali depart this summer.
The former Premier League goalkeeper, who made 462 appearances for Newcastle , has explained why the timing is not ideal, why the fanbase will fear a difficult season under new man Matthias Jaissle , and what could come next for Howe .
Given has also weighed up whether Howe is the man for the England job ahead of the likes of Frank Lampard , and whether he could one day succeed Martin O'Neill at Celtic .
The Shock Exit
What Was Your Reaction to Eddie Howe Leaving?
Eddie Howe leaving Newcastle United is a real shock. We knew there had been talk that he was under a bit of pressure at the end of last season, and some people expected a change of management, but they had that big meeting in April up at Matfen Hall . The talk after that was that they were going to go ahead with Eddie and continue the project.
I don't think it's ideal timing. My impression is that Eddie has come in, thought he could go again, but he perhaps doesn't have that feeling now, and there could be any number of reasons behind that. It could be the transfers. Maybe he thinks he's taken the club as far as he can go. The model has possibly changed too with the recruitment strategy. Newcastle have been selling some of their experienced players for big money and bringing in young players, and maybe Eddie felt it was the right time for him to step away.
Eddie Howe has done an incredible job as Newcastle United manager; he really has. When he took over, they were 19th in the Premier League . He got them into the Champions League twice, won their first domestic trophy in 70 years, and I could keep listing off what he's achieved! There will be a lot of emotion on Tyneside over this. It's already been an emotional couple of weeks at Newcastle with Kevin Keegan 's sad passing, and I think Eddie forged a similar sort of connection with the people of Newcastle too, like Kevin and Bobby Robson had before him. He really understood the city and its people. He lived in the city. I think the fans will be hurting today that he's left.
Relegation Fears
Does the Upheaval Make You Fear a Relegation Battle?
I think it's natural for all fans to fear the worst. It's ingrained in us, built on over the years. Newcastle have lost some of their best players and have replaced them with younger players, who certainly have bright futures ahead of them, but it can take time for them to settle and get up to speed, especially in the Premier League .
Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have already departed, and it seems Bruno Guimaraes is about to join them, which means almost the whole midfield has been wiped out. That's a lot of quality and experience. If I told you I was sitting here right now saying I'm not worried at all and totally certain we'll be fine, I probably wouldn't be telling the truth. There will be concerns amongst the fanbase about the coming season.
Matthias Jaissle is a young manager, currently working in Saudi Arabia , and he's had a relatively positive time out there, winning a couple of trophies, and he's worked for Red Bull Salzburg too. He's young, but he's been successful in his fledgling career so far, and I'm sure Newcastle fans will be typing into every search bar they can to get some information on the guy. I hope he'll prove to be successful at the club. The fans might have expected other managers to be linked as well, but I think when the reports come out strong around one person, it feels like the decision was already made and that's the direction the club seemingly appear to have always been going in.
The England Question
Is Howe a Better England Candidate Than Lampard?
Eddie Howe as the next England manager? I think he ticks all the boxes, doesn't he? He'll be strongly linked with it. Obviously, Thomas Tuchel has signed a new contract before the World Cup , and I wouldn't have thought his position was in doubt, although England fans might have had other ideas the morning after the Argentina game.
From everything I've heard, it could well be that Eddie wants to take a step back and get away from it all now to recharge his batteries, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some time out, maybe a year off out of the game. Speaking to people up there, he's a workaholic. He was in at six o'clock every morning, leaving at eight or nine at night, seven days a week. He was all in. I'm sure he's missed out on a lot of quality time with his family, and fans don't see that side of the game. Everyone just thinks he's another well-paid Premier League manager and he's got the best of everything, but it all comes at a cost.
His family will probably be very happy with the news because they'll see a lot more of their dad and their husband, and it wouldn't surprise me if Eddie disappears for 12 months to spend some quality time with those closest to him, because he's still relatively young too as far as managers go. He's got a long future ahead of him in the game, but I'm sure Eddie has aspirations of one day being England manager. Will that desire be in 12 months or five years? Only Eddie knows the answer to that one.
The Next Move
Where Could Howe Go Next in the Club Game?
Eddie Howe has proven himself as a manager at Newcastle United , with Champions League experience at the very top of the game. The reality at Newcastle is that you're handcuffed in building your team up because of the financial regulations. Eddie got them into the Champions League , he won them the Carabao Cup , and yet they were still having to sell their best players to balance the books.
You look at Tottenham Hotspur , and they finished 17th twice and just spent over £200 million on new players. It's very difficult for the likes of Newcastle or Aston Villa to go and do that and compete at the very top. I wonder if the financial regulations have to be looked at and remodelled because how can clubs compete? Eddie Howe did so well at Newcastle United that he'll be in the conversation for every big job that comes up in the Premier League or abroad if he fancies that, although I feel Eddie is more suited to the Premier League . Eddie will be very highly thought of in every boardroom in the big six of the Premier League .
Could Howe Be the Perfect Successor to O'Neill at Celtic?
I grew up as a Celtic fan so I'd love to see Eddie Howe end up at Celtic once Martin O'Neill finishes up, but I don't know if that's an avenue he would consider now. His stock is really high now, and my instinct is that Eddie 's next job will be at one of the big jobs in the Premier League or in Europe .
I'm sure Celtic would love to have him, and they'd snap his hands off to bring him up to Glasgow if he made any noises about it, but I think there will be other opportunities that Eddie may be looking at, and you'd suspect he'd be looking for a club where he can build without selling his best players. That means the very biggest clubs because they have all the financial power. On paper, Newcastle are one of the richest clubs in the world, but because of the rules they're restricted every time they try and do something, and now they're having to completely change their model, which has been clear for everyone to see this summer.
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