New Newcastle boss Eddie Howe does not expect to lose any sleep as he prepares for his first game in charge against Brentford on Saturday.
Asked how he was feeling ahead of the Premier League fixture, Howe said: “Do you know, I don’t tend to struggle to sleep. I’ll have to let you know tomorrow whether my sleep is affected tonight.
“As long as training is done as I want it to, as long as I feel I’ve given my best, that’s all I can do and I think I will sleep well in the knowledge that I’ve given everything I can for the team and for the club.
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“Then, as always with football, you have to let the game roll. Obviously you can influence the game through subs and everything else, but you just hope that your work is good enough.”
The Magpies currently sit in 19th place in the table, five points adrift of safety and without a league win in their 11 games to date, and Howe is under no illusions as to what lies ahead.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s a huge challenge that we face – I’m under no illusions about our current situation and what we need to do.
“Tomorrow is a massive day for everybody connected with the football club. The supporters have shown how important it is, a sell-out. I’m sure the atmosphere will be a brilliant thing for me and my players to experience.
“I thank the supporters for everything they’ve done for me to this point, how welcome they’ve made us feel, me and my staff, and I just urge them to really try to help the team get a win tomorrow.”
EH on Joelinton:
“I think he can be a huge player for us. From what I’ve seen in training he’s a technical player with very good feet and he’s intelligent. Unlocking that talent and ability are things I’m going to make assessments on but he’s got a big part in our future here.” pic.twitter.com/FPQybbf3kq
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) November 19, 2021
Howe continued: “Really good 10 days, thoroughly enjoyed it and the players have responded well.
“We have covered a lot and will try to implement philosophy in a steady way, and we definitely want to shape team in the way we want to go forward. I’ve been very impressed by the response and attitude of everybody.
“We planned very well, prior to me getting job. I have been preparing for this moment for a long time, as in my return to management to make sure that when I came in I was ready to go from day one and that’s served me well in this job.
You go in and you can implement your ideas straight away. I have slightly tweaked my philosophy from previous years because you have to evolve. We have covered a lot of bases and hopefully we have got the balance right.”
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