Newcastle United

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A lot can change at Newcastle United in the space of just a few days.

Eddie Howe was fielding questions about his position at his last news conference on Monday.

However, on Friday, the head coach was talking up the possibility of a "great" future for his side following a 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.

"That's what winning does," he said. "It's such an amazing thing. It can change the perspective of everyone.

"It was a big win for us but now we have got to try and back it up – and we're searching for that consistency."

That is an understatement.

Newcastle have yet to win back-to-back away games in all competitions this season. In fact, this team have only won four matches on their travels.

So it was hardly a surprise, then, that Howe admitted a trip to Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup was "not the draw we wanted".

But Saturday's game feels like a chance for this side to take another big step forward as these players continue to gel following a chaotic summer.

"It has ended up being inconsistent and a little bit up and down," Howe added.

"Don't get me wrong, we could have done better and there are certainly things that we could improve, but I think longer term we'll be better for it if we can work through this season and this period.

"The biggest thing is to find a clear identify and a clear way of playing, and then we can see what the future looks like with this team. If it's positive then that could be a great thing."

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup fourth round game against Aston Villa at Villa Park (17:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Howe said Newcastle are waiting to know the "full extent" of Bruno Guimaraes' hamstring injury while Lewis Miley is "having scans every few days" on a dead leg after a "bad knock to his thigh" and the club are "waiting day-by-day" on his fitness.

• Tino Livramento is "on track" for a return in March and is "back on grass, running and building his fitness back up".

• Joelinton is "doing really well" and his return "can't be too far beyond this game" but he is unlikely to be fit for the visit to Villa.

• On the FA Cup: "It has helped the feeling and mood at the training ground. It is amazing that it can change the perspective of everyone. I get asked a lot about the FA Cup. Our attitude is to win. It's a competition we want to win and go as far as we can."

• Howe says Villa away is a "tough draw": "We would love to have a cup run, our attitude won't change, we want to try and win the next game and that is Aston Villa. It is a tough draw, a competition we want to do well in and we want to go as far as we can."

• Reflecting on the midweek win at Tottenham, he said: "It definitely helped the feeling and the mood around the training ground, that is what winning does. It was a big win for us but now we have to try and back that up. We are searching for that consistency."

• He backed Kieran Trippier who has recently been struggling for form: "It has been a difficult period for him with the ground he is expected to cover and the games we are playing. Kieran's appetite and hunger for success is there, he looked good athletically, his leadership with the back four was outstanding. I am very pleased with him. He is such an important player for us. There is big expectation on him to deliver."

• On Sven Botman extending his contract until 2030: "For any player, if you have your future settled and your contract length is clear it helps. When you have certainty over your future it helps with performances."

Hear more from Howe below or on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Watch live coverage of Aston Villa v Newcastle on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Listen to full live commentary on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra from 17:45 on Saturday (second half also on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Got a question about Newcastle? Get in touch and we'll put it to our experts

Newcastle United will prioritise the signing of a striker in the summer transfer window, with the club already looking to sell German 23-year-old Nick Woltemade following his club-record move in August. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Recently, Liverpool and the Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said former players-turned-pundits have a responsibility when discussing the performances of the current generation of footballers.

He believes they can stray into "clickbait" and have a possible impact on players' mental health.

On Thursday's episode of the More than the Score podcast, former Scotland international Pat Nevin and chief sports editor for Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf Marcel van der Kraan join John Bennett to discuss and analyse the modern world of punditry and the impact it can have on players and managers alike.

"As a player you do tend to take it to heart, especially when it feels a little personal," said Nevin.

"Generally, it isn't personal and the pundit is just having their opinion and we all kind of know where the lines are. But, the lines have been jumped over more often in recent years and I think Van Dijk is right about that.

"Because of the clickbait, it is so much easier to get more likes, views and work if you're a little bit more extreme. Ex-players aren't stupid and they know that. If you are too sensible and sit on the fence you won't get the big gigs.

"You have a dichotomy. Most ex-players would like to be balanced but they know if they are too balanced and sensible they won't be there next week.

"My criticism would always be constructive criticism which is explained. One-dimensional labeling of players should never happen. Sometimes if a big name says something enough it becomes accepted wisdom."

Van der Kraan added: "There are two different kinds of pundits; those who need to be on every week and those who are genuinely focused on what is right and what players should do.

"For Van Dijk, after so many years enough is enough.

"It all started after he came into the Netherlands team and became a big player at Liverpool. The first ex-player to really criticise him was Marco van Basten, saying he was not a leader. Van Dijk was biting his lip after every match because it became a bit of a stigma.

"Eventually it filtered to England and every time he had a bad game it became an open nerve."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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It was 10 November 2002 when 16-year-old James Milner made his first Premier League appearance for Leeds United.

Milner came off the bench to replace Jason Wilcox in a 4-3 win at West Ham.

What else was going on in the world in November 2002?

Number one singles in the UK around that time included "Heaven" by DJ Sammy and Yanou featuring Do and "Unbreakable" by Westlife.

On television, ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals was approaching its conclusion (whatever happened to One True Voice?) while series two of The Office had just ended - would a tearful David Brent avoid being made redundant from his job at Wernham Hogg?

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Die Another Day" were released in UK cinemas.

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was a month old, while former US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu was born three days after Milner's senior debut.

James Milner now holds the all-time record for the most Premier League appearances.

The former England international, 40, made his 654th Premier League outing in Wednesday's defeat at former club Aston Villa - which took him past the previous mark set by Gareth Barry.

Milner made his debut for Leeds in November 2002 as a 16-year-old and became the Premier League's youngest-ever goalscorer before the end of that year.

He featured regularly at first-team level from then on, but his time at Elland Road came to an end when Leeds, in deep financial trouble at the time, were relegated from the top flight in 2004.

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Milner was contracted to Newcastle for four years, although he spent the 2005-06 campaign on loan at Aston Villa and nearly joined them full-time in the summer of 2006.

That move to Villa Park would eventually happen in 2008.

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Milner was a key part of a Villa side that narrowly missed out on silverware and Champions League qualification under Martin O'Neill.

He scored the opening goal in Villa's 2010 League Cup final loss to Manchester United.

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Milner moved to Manchester City in the early weeks of the 2010-11 season and won numerous honours during his five seasons with the club, including two Premier League titles and one FA Cup.

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Milner swapped City for Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2015 and spent eight seasons with the Reds.

While at Anfield, he won all three major domestic trophies and the Champions League in 2019.

Milner played more Premier League games for Liverpool (230) than any of the other top-flight clubs he has represented.

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Milner has been with Brighton since 2023, appearing in the Seagulls' first-ever European campaign in 2023-24.

He recently joined a select band of outfield players to have made a Premier League appearance after their 40th birthday and is more than seven years older than his current boss Fabian Hurzeler.

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Newcastle United are likely to target Roma's Italy midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, 29, as they look set to lose 25-year-old Italy international Sandro Tonali in the summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Somers to bring you the action and talking points from Tuesday's and Wednesday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

We asked for your views on Newcastle after their 2-1 away win in over Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Johnny: A lot of our fans are catastrophising. They're looking for someone to blame. Why? It's a process, and processes sometimes hit setbacks. We're not going down. We're in transition. We're building a squad who can handle this many games a season. Eddie mixed it up and the pace and quick thinking of our front three, as well as the energy and determination of our middle three, created something potent that Spurs couldn't deal with.

Michael: A much-improved performance at both ends. Midfield especially getting a better balance in defensive duties. Highlight was Willock and Ramsey getting better and really contributing to the team. Just need more consistency now.

Mark: Better. Good performance from midfield and good ball retention. Then we predictably dropped off after the hour and conceded. Quick fightback was critical and then again we try to see out an unnecessarily finish.

Steven: Still not good enough as we still are not clicking. Same old going down the wings and slow counter-attacks, and when we did counter quickly down the middle we did at least put the ball in the back of the net, even though it was just offside. Osula should've given a chance from the beginning as he was starting to play well before his last injury and you can see his pace plus hunger now.

Howard: I thought NUFC had by far the better of the first and should have been 3-0 up at half-time. Spurs had a 20-minute rally in second half but we scored a superbly worked goal and then managed the game out. Much-improved performance. Eddie did it again when we desperately needed a good performance we got one. Well done, Newcastle - my family are with you good or bad.

Richard: You can see by the scenes at the end that the vast majority of fans are behind Eddie Howe. Yes, there are problems, but changing manager is just not something anyone wants. Onwards and upwards. Haway the lads.

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Newcastle fully deserved their 2-1 win at Tottenham but it was a concern that they did not win more comfortably, says ex-Magpies defender John Anderson.

Malick Thiaw put Newcastle ahead with Archie Gray equalising before Jacob Ramsey netted the winner.

"They made hard work of it," said BBC Radio Newcastle summariser Anderson at full-time.

"It should have been more comfortable. Against better sides you won't get away with it. We dominated.

"Spurs were so open and so stretched. We didn't take advantage of it and then gave a bad equaliser away. That's a problem, that'll be a concern. For a side who were on top that length of time and Spurs created nothing, they get a goal out of nothing.

"Then we had to go chasing the game again. There will be tougher games to come.

"It was important win. A deserved win."

On seeing boss Eddie Howe come over to celebrate with the away fans at full-time, Irishman Anderson added: "You can see what it means to Eddie Howe.

"He knows how important this was. If we hadn't won then the pressure would have been really on and mounted up. It's a really big win."

Listen to BBC Radio Newcastle's full-time analysis here

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Howe will know how opposite number Thomas Frank is feeling.

The Newcastle head coach looked crestfallen after his side were booed off following the bruising 3-2 home defeat by Brentford last week.

But Howe and his players hauled themselves up off the canvas to respond just three days later.

This was a night where Howe made some bold calls.

He opted not to start either of Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa just a few months after spending £124m on the forwards.

He recalled Jacob Ramsey, in place of Sandro Tonali, and also handed the lively Anthony Elanga a chance from the off.

Newcastle's summer recruitment has rightly come under scrutiny - but Elanga, Malick Thiaw and Ramsey stepped up when Howe needed them most.

So did the whole team, in truth.

Wobbly Newcastle have thrown away more points from winning positions (19) than any other side in the Premier League this season - but they held firm in the closing stages.

No wonder Howe savoured this win.

He even took the acclaim of the away end at full-time as Kieran Trippier pushed the head coach in front of the buoyant travelling support, who repeatedly sang his name.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "I thought the players were all out on the pitch, we were getting cramp at the end. Our schedule has been relentless but I thought the performance was brilliant.

"It was a great finish from JJ. He's getting accustomed to the team. I thought Bruno's performance in the middle of the pitch was really strong.

"We've been waiting for that momentum shift for a long time this season. We just haven't strung it together long enough this season. It's going to be tough for the players but a great result today.

On Willock's disallowed goal: "I really felt for Joe because it was an outstanding finish. He ran himself into the ground for me."

Did you know?

• Newcastle have picked up more points in their last four Premier League away games (7 – W2 D1 L1) than they managed in their first nine on the road this season (6 – W1 D3 L5).

• In his 357th Premier League game, Eddie Howe earned his 136th win (D80 L141), to move level with Roy Hodgson. The only English managers with more wins in the competition's history are Harry Redknapp (236) and Sam Allardyce (178).

Hear more from Howe on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

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What did you make of Newcastle's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies