Gary Neville urges Newcastle to back Eddie Howe and points out transfer mistakes

Newcastle United's season hasn't exactly gone according to plan, particularly in the Premier League.

The Magpies have performed admirably in the cups and surprised a lot of people by making it into the round of 16 in the Champions League, but where it matters, in the Premier League, Eddie Howe's men have not been anywhere near the heights expected.

Newcastle and Eddie Howe have become victims of their own success. The team has overperformed ever since Howe took over, and that has set expectations at an unrealistic level.

However, even if you take that out of the equation, you'd expect Newcastle to be higher than 14th in the Premier League, especially after spending around £250 million in the summer.

Our current lowly league position is enough ammo for many people to demand change in the dugout, but Gary Neville has called for the club to stick by their gaffer.

Gary Neville feels Eddie Howe was let down last summer

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the Sky Sports pundit pointed towards the poor summer window in which the Magpies spent almost £125 million on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa alone as a big reason for Newcastle's issues this term.

"It is a really disappointing season. The transfer business at the end of the window in the summer was a real problem for them because they ended up with Woltemade and Wissa and that has just not paid off yet at all. That is the difference right now.

"I think full faith in Eddie Howe. Full trust in Eddie Howe. That is the way to go. They have got a really, really good manager. So where at some clubs it is easy to say 'let's shift the manager and let's keep the players because they have got five-year contracts, six-year contracts', it is absolutely the other way round at Newcastle, I would think.

"I would think they would be thinking if we lost him, we have lost an eight-and-a-half out of 10 manager. Someone who is a real solid performer. Someone who is reliable, consistent, someone who has got a great attitude.

"I think basically now, I hope they are sitting down with Eddie Howe and I hope they are going through 'these are the players I want you to shift for me, these are the players I am going to buy into for next season, I want to get these four or five [players] in and I want our business to be done early whilst everyone is thinking about the World Cup, everybody is planning, I want these players in.'

"I am hoping they are in a really sure period behind the scenes where they are really getting themselves sorted for next season because for Newcastle now to be where they are, they are a really good side and I like watching them, there is a lot there to like about them [vs Arsenal].

"They didn't have a cutting edge but Wissa should have scored. If that is (Alexander) Isak he does score. They are going to need to back their manager properly. Buy into him, back him. They do obviously back him and have done over a long time but almost go again with him.

"Lean into making the manager the guy you believe in and say to the players: 'Right, who wants to be on this bus?' That is what I would do if I was Newcastle because I think they have one of the very best there. I think he will pick them up and have them challenging for the Champions League again next season."

Eddie Howe needs backing in the summer

Now that Eddie Howe has a sporting director in Ross Wilson and a CEO in David Hopkinson behind him, he can make those demands and expect the support that was so sorely lacking last year when Darren Eales was on leave with poor health, and Newcastle were without a sporting director following the departure of Paul Mitchell.

Ross Wilson's scouting network has been hard at work looking for hidden gems around the globe, so we'd like to think things should go much smoother this time, and we're not flapping and making panic buys at the end of the window.

The summer transfer window is arguably more important than the final four games for Eddie Howe. If he's not backed properly, his job is going to be very difficult again next season, and he could find himself on the heap.