6 days Ago By [email protected] (Ross Gregory)
Newcastle United have confirmed that Eddie Howe won't be in the dugout for Wednesday night's game against Crystal Palace. The Magpies issued a statement on Monday revealing the head coach is suffering from pneumonia. Howe was taken into hospital at the weekend after falling ill during the week.
The Newcastle head coach missed the Premier League win over Manchester United as he was monitored by medical staff. With a quick turnaround to Newcastle's next game, at home to Palace tomorrow night, it always appeared unlikely that Howe would return in time to play a part. Assistants Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones will now oversee the next two games, as they did on Sunday.
Howe broke his silence on the situation to thank the NHS for the way they have looked after him, and also the football family for their messages of support. The first game he could be back available for is the home clash against Ipswich Town on Saturday, April 26, but the club will monitor his recovery before making a decision. One thing Howe - the ultimate professional - won't want is for his players to be sidetracked by his health worries.
Penning his Man United programme notes in the aftermath of last week's win over Leicester City, and before he was taken into hospital for treatment, Howe had revealed just how important it was for everyone at the club to pull together. And in what looked like something of a premonition, he told his players that they can't afford to be 'distracted' by anything in their pursuit for Champions League qualification. Howe wrote: "The importance of reacting in the right way to the cup final celebrations cannot be underestimated.
There is still so much to play for and we are aiming to finish the season on a high, win as many points as possible and see where it can take us. "We also know that the quality of the Premier League dictates that you cannot afford to get distracted for a single moment, so the last two games have shown the players are totally focussed on the challenge ahead and are not looking beyond the next 90 minutes. "We will need to keep that discipline for every remaining match if we are to end the season in the way we all hope.
"We'll also need every single one of you to stay with us and continue to make the difference. You've always been with us ever since I arrived at the club, but the last few weeks have shown a new level of togetherness which has helped inspire the players to new heights." The supporters certainly heeded those words on Sunday, creating another incredible, febrile atmosphere inside St James' Park roaring the team on and taunting the Man United players and fans .
Chants in support of Howe resonated around the ground as the visitors were blown away in the second period. The players, too, showed no sign of being distracted by Howe's condition or absence. Harvey Barnes, who bagged a second-half brace, said the players knew their jobs and remained focus despite the outside noise.
"It's been a weird week without the gaffer being in, we spoke today about winning the game and hopefully putting a smile on his face," he said. "We know he wouldn't be missing games if he wasn't seriously ill. "The work we do week-to-week - we repeat stuff, it's repetitive, so we know our roles.
We went into the game today knowing exactly what we needed to do. It's just his voice and influence that hasn't been there this week." Tindall will hold Tuesday's Press conference again in Howe's absence.
Alongside Jones and the rest of the first team coaching staff, Tindall has been overseeing training while Howe is unwell..
