Paul Merson hits back at what Sky pundit said about Eddie Howe after Newcastle loss

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Paul Merson has hit back at Kris Boyd after the pundit suggested that questions may soon start to be asked of Eddie Howe after Newcastle were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Boyd believes that the Newcastle owners could potentially start to lose patience with Eddie Howe given their ambitions for the club over the next few years.

The Magpies’ return to the Champions League stage has ended at the group-stage. A 2-1 defeat to AC Milan at St James’ Park saw Newcastle finish bottom.

It must be said that Newcastle were pushing almost everyone forward in search of a vital winner when the Rossoneri went down the other end and scored the third goal of the game. So the scoreline definitely does not reflect how the contest played out.

Paul Merson hits back at suggestion Eddie Howe could come under pressure

Nevertheless, Kris Boyd suggested on Soccer Special (broadcast on 13/12; 22:07) that he could see the owners start to ask questions of Howe in the near future.

And clearly, Paul Merson could hardly disagree more.

“No way. No, I’m not having that,” he told Soccer Special. “I can have you with the Europe thing. But not Eddie Howe. No, of course they will [be patient]. He’s pulled up trees, he’s a top manager. Keeps his calm, never panics. Won’t come out tonight and start throwing his toys out the pram. He’s a top manager.”

Newcastle desperately unlucky in recent times

When you look at their form in isolation, Newcastle do appear to be really struggling. They have now lost five of their last eight games in all competitions. And that now includes a run of three straight defeats.

But that does not tell anything like the full story. The Newcastle squad has been decimated by injuries. Howe named seven substitutes against Milan, and two of them were goalkeepers.

With that, it is not hard to imagine that some of the players who were involved yesterday would have missed out at some stage over the last few weeks if Howe had the option to really rotate.

And of course, that controversial penalty decision against PSG has played a big part in Newcastle being knocked out. Had the Magpies won that game, they would have gone into the Milan tie with their fate in their own hands.

Howe is probably not blameless in their recent struggles. But the fans will be furious if he ends up paying the price anytime soon.