Newcastle made a big change in November 2021, bringing in Eddie Howe as their new manager after Steve Bruce left. Under Howe's leadership, the team quickly improved, going from worrying about getting relegated to finishing 11th in the league that season.
The next year was even better. Howe led Newcastle to fourth place in the Premier League and a spot in the Champions League. They also made it to the final of the Carabao Cup, although they lost to Manchester United. This season has been tougher, though, with lots of injuries causing problems.
In the latest episode of The Overlap's Stick To Football Howe talked about the challenges of this season.
He said: "When you're not winning games and you have to do media interviews every few days, that part is difficult because you're not sure what else you can say that you haven't said already."
"I find that difficult, but not the worst part of being manager. I would say the worst part is disappointing the players, I hate leaving good players out."
"I hate that moment when you're going to disappoint them, especially if they've got a good attitude and they're giving you everything they can give, and you're not picking them on a regular basis – I find that very difficult because I care about their respective journeys and I want them to enjoy playing for me."
"Whenever I am in that situation with players, I feel that honesty is the best way to deal with it. I've found doing it that way has never harmed me, so rather than shying away from a difficult conversation, I'll have it."
