Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe refused to predict what the score would be if his current crop could somehow play Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers on an even keel. But admits one of his main aims at St James’ Park is to recreate the glory years on Tyneside and give the paying public a team to be proud of. Howe will get to do something Keegan didn’t as Newcastle boss next month when he leads the team out for a Champions League game. After leaving Newcastle in early 1997, Keegan missed the first ever Champions League group game against Barcelona after quitting the club due to a boardroom disagreement. But Howe is determined to take some of KK’s inspiration into this season
Eddie Howe said: “The drive is to do as best as you can. I don’t judge it by what they achieved, it’s different times. They did their best for the football club when they were here. And they achieved some unbelievable things and I will try to do my best for the football club, short-term and long-term while I am here. The outcome will be the outcome. I hope it’s positive and I hope people look back on it fondly.”
When asked about being compared to the Entertainers,
Eddie Howe said: “I said very early in my tenure here to be compared to the Entertainers is a huge compliment. We want to entertain. We are here to win and entertain. Our aim is for supporters to come to the stadium and enjoy what they see. We want them to leave with the feeling of: ‘I can’t wait for next week’. Those kind of feelings are positive and we want to leave lasting memories. I want our players to be remembered here forever. I want that for them. For me my own personal position, I look at it as short-term trying to win football matches then, the end, whenever that comes, you look back and say you done your best.”
Howe finished his Press conference with a quip about what the score would if the two teams could play against each other.
Eddie Howe quipped: “I think it would be an open game, a great game. It is a shame that you can’t put those two teams together when everybody is in their prime and see what would happen.”
