Eddie Howe admits his days of being considered a “young” manager are fast running out.
Howe, appointed Newcastle’s head coach in November last year, arrived at St James’ Park having established himself as a rising talent in the English game over two spells at Bournemouth either side of a brief interlude at Burnley.
However at 44 and having got the better of new Everton counterpart Frank Lampard, 43, in midweek ahead of Sunday’s showdown with 41-year-old Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard, he is well aware of the passage of time.
After being asked about being part of that triumvirate of young English managers, he said with a smile: “I think I’m kidding myself. That’s just become something of a tagline.
“You get to 44 and think, ‘Oh, that doesn’t sound so good these days!’. Hopefully I can get away with it for a little bit longer.”
Many of Howe’s most recent predecessors have aged markedly during their time at St James’ Park as a club with a penchant for making things difficult for itself has lived up to its reputation.
By contrast, he arrived in the wake of a takeover which has brought renewed ambition and perhaps more significantly, eye-watering finance to Tyneside, and the mood-swing has been enormous.
The Magpies climbed out of the relegation zone as a result of Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over Everton amid a rapturous reception from the packed stands at St James’ Park and while there is much work still to be done if they are to avoid the drop, Howe admitted he gained an insight into what might lie in wait if he can get things right on the pitch.
He said: ‘The atmosphere around the ground, the feeling everyone had of being connected with each other, it gave me an insight into what the club could be like if we were winning on a consistent basis.
“It allows your thoughts to go in that direction. But we’re not in that moment. We have to be very level and focus on the next game. This game can change very quickly.”
The hectic start to Howe’s reign means he is still living in a hotel while looking for the right home, although that is a situation he hopes to change quickly, particularly if the wins keep coming.
He said: “I’m waiting and just trying to find the right place. My wife is coming up this weekend to look at places. We are well on the way to doing that.
“It’s just with the kids at school and trying to get the balance right for their lives it’s proved a little bit more difficult than we thought. That will happen, but certainly wins help in that respect.”
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