PIF chiefs to discuss Newcastle United management roadmap with Eddie Howe braced for 'hard' meeting Eddie Howe is not expecting an easy ride when he meets club chiefs next week in a crunch end of season meeting Comments Lee Ryder Chief Newcastle United Writer 16:03, 26 Apr 2026 View Image Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe and assistant Jason Tindall (Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images) Eddie Howe admits he is under no illusions going into this week's big meeting with PIF as the Saudi backers jet into the North-East to discuss the future. Club sources have already indicated that Howe "retains full backing" but what happens next will be interesting with change of some sort clearly required behind the scenes. Howe watched his side lose 1-0 to Arsenal on Saturday night in a game in which his players delivered an improved display compared to recent weeks. But it was still another defeat on the board nonetheless, and Howe faces a crunch clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at St James' Park on Saturday, with another home loss unthinkable. It's now 16 defeats in the Premier League this season with the club heading for a new low under their stewardship. If Newcastle lose another game, they will equal the defeats from the final full season of the ill-fated Mike Ashley era. As things stand, Howe is battling to beat Steve Bruce's record of 45 points in the 2020/21 campaign. When asked about the meeting next week, Howe told reporters: "These are things we always have every year. This one will be slightly harder for me, I'm sure, but it'll be good to meet with the owners and discuss the future." Howe felt that the performance at Arsenal was better than in recent weeks and was pleased with aspects of the slender defeat. Looking back on the latest loss, he said: "Yeah, I thought it was much, much better from us as a group of men, I thought we stood up to the physical challenge of Arsenal. I thought we were much better off the ball. It was a much better defensive performance. We looked more like our ourselves in that respect. "We defended our goal much better today. In recent weeks, that's been a definite weakness. Of course, we've conceded a goal, and we've lost the game, which ultimately is what matters the most, but I think positive signs that hopefully we can rediscover our best defensive mentality, which we're going to need. "And, then the other side of that is I thought it was a better performance with the ball as well with Bruno's return. We were more controlled in our build-up. I thought we were brave with the ball, and we created chances to score as well. "So, performance-wise, I’m much more satisfied with that, but of course, it's another defeat, and we can't lose sight of the fact that we’ve lost too many games." More worryingly, the season could yet get WORSE for Howe and his players, and they could be in 15th place by the time they kick off against the Seagulls if Leeds beat Burnley on Friday night. The maximum points tally Howe can get is 54, five more than in 2021/22 when the team was under his leadership for most of that season, coming in after Bruce. When asked if he was glancing over his shoulder, with both Leeds and Nottingham Forest now looking in the mood to catch them up, Howe said: "I think we're looking at the fact we haven't won games. It's too many games without positive results. So we're looking at next week, trying to win a game and try and lift the feeling that we currently feel." Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1 HERE – exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, John Gibson's columns plus an ad-lite experience Article continues below Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.chroniclelive.co.uk