Senior source at Newcastle claims Eddie Howe will land rival job if he walks away

Eddie Howe still has the backing of the Newcastle United hierarchy despite a disappointing season, but that could still change before the season ends.

There is growing pressure on Eddie Howe from some sections of the fanbase, particularly after the Magpies failed to take full advantage of their three-week break and fell into old habits against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Had Newcastle won that game or at least put in a convincing display, it could have lifted the cloud hovering over Tyneside, but neither happened, and that cloud got darker and more ominous.

Eddie Howe now has six games left to try to salvage something from this season, and some would say he has six games to save his job.

Club insiders warn against letting Eddie Howe go

There's still a debate to be had around whether replacing Howe would be the right course of action, as whoever comes in next would have four years of work to undo before they can start putting their own stamp on things, and who is to say the new manager wouldn't be hounded out long before then?

A club insider has urged caution when speaking to The Telegraph that Eddie Howe could come back to haunt Newcastle if he's let go.

“He will almost certainly end up at a direct rival, with a bigger budget than the one he has now.”

Eddie Howe has everything to be a top manager

A lot of people seem to want a manager with a legacy to come into Newcastle and take over, but there was a time before they built their legacy when they hadn't won anything and didn't have a glittering CV. 

Eddie Howe has all the hallmarks of a great manager; the biggest evidence of that is what he's done at Newcastle with all the restrictions imposed upon him. The reason we think he's doing such a poor job this season is that he's consistently overachieved since he arrived.

While Howe has often been linked with the England job, Thomas Tuchel signing a new deal with the Three Lions has likely pushed that bacjk a bit, so Howe is more likely to end up at another club, and there's nothing to say he couldn't take over from Arne Slot at Liverpool or Michael Carrick at Manchester United, and then we'll be questioning our decisions.

Many pundits have told the Newcastle fans braying for change to be careful what they wish for, and we'd echo those sentiments.