Eddie Howe: Joe Cole rubbishes ‘absurd’ criticism of Newcastle manager after stunning comeback victory

It would be "absurd" if Newcastle are considering the future of manager Eddie Howe, according to Joe Cole, as the Toon battled more injuries to beat West Ham 4-3.

The result was a huge step forward in Newcastle’s hunt for European football next season, moving them to within a point of the seventh-placed Hammers with a game in hand, in a campaign where the Premier League top eight could all qualify for Europe.

Howe has come under fire at times as Newcastle have been unable to match their scintillating fourth-place finish last season, juggling injuries all season and without €70 million arrival Sandro Tonali since October due to a betting suspension.

It looked like the problems would only increase when goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen put the Hammers 3-1 up at St James’ Park, but Newcastle dug in to record a win that Howe hailed as one of his best - and Cole, speaking on TNT Sports, hit back at the naysayers.

“It’s always premature, it’s always ill-advised, Howe’s done a great job and his team are fighting for him,” he said.

“You look at that man and his team are fighting for him, you look at that and it’s a base, that can be the foundation. It’s absurd if they’re even contemplating changing him.”

The Magpies are far from out of the woods despite the stunning result though, as Miguel Almiron, Jamaal Lascelles and Tino Livramento all joined an absentee list that already includes the likes of Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson.

The severity of those latest injuries is still unknown though, and Howe will be hoping for the best as he prepares his side to face Everton on Tuesday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the victory, Howe labelled the game as one of his best at Newcastle.

He even compared it to the Magpies’ remarkable 4-1 over the Kylian Mbappe-led PSG at home in the UEFA Champions League in October, but added this win is far from the be-all and end-all as Howe hunts for a return to Europe next season.

The exact breakdown of the Premier League’s European places is still unclear - thanks in part to Newcastle’s group-stage exit - but any competition would be better than none.

“That’s in our minds, we’re desperate for European football,” Howe told TNT Sports.

“We want to have that going into next year, that’s the target that we’ve all got, any European qualification at this point but if we do go on a run we might look to assess and change our targets but that’s where we are.”

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