Eddie Howe speaks out after PIF meeting - “I was pleased”

Eddie Howe faced the media on Friday morning, a day after the Newcastle United manager met with the owners of the club for their annual review.

As much as some corners of the media would like to spin it that way, this was not a crisis meeting for Eddie Howe, but a regular occurrence when the PIF come to town.

Speculation was rife that after a terrible run of results, Eddie Howe could be hauled over the coals in the meeting room at Matfen Hall, but sources inside the club insisted that it was just standard protocol

Naturally, questions about what was said in the meetings were high on the agenda for Howe's pre-match presser ahead of the Brighton clash tomorrow.

Howe 'pleased' with yesterday's meetings

Eddie Howe looked to be in good spirits on Friday, and his response to that line of questioning gave a big indication as to why that would be.

"No change in terms of the support and the infrastructure. I was pleased by the level of support given to me but still understanding how football works and needing results and that will never change."

When asked if he feels more reassured after the meeting, Howe insisted he didn't need reassurance.

"I have never needed clarity in my head in the sense I am here, I am working and that won't change. The football club has to see we are going in the right direction. Arsenal was an upturn in performance and we need to see that again tomorrow. Talk is cheap and I am under no illusions of the importance of tomorrow."

Eddie Howe's fate is in his own hands

It seems that it's all business as usual for now, then, but Howe is under no illusions that he's in a results-driven business, and if the performances and results don't pick up, he'll not be around for much longer.

It may not be what some fans wanted to hear, but it looks like we're heading into next season with Eddie Howe still at the helm, and then it's really down to him how long he stays. 

As long as Ross Wilson backs him with the right signings in the summer, it's all on Howe next term, so if results don't pick up, he's really got no excuses left.