Eddie Howe sees light at the end of the tunnel | OneFootball

Eddie Howe has been up against it in these opening seven weeks of the season.

He is never one to make excuses though.

As we saw last season, when Newcastle United experienced their worst ever season in the club’s history when it came to injuries, with the Sandro Tonali suspension on top of that.

Despite that, Eddie Howe didn’t use it as an excuse. He just got on with it and did his best on very difficult circumstances.

Remarkably, in the end Newcastle United finished the season only eight points adrift of top four and a Champions League place.

Moving on to the start of this season and it was anything but a fresh start.

The season kicked off with Lascelles, Botman, Lewis Miley, Wilson and Tonali all unavailable.

In addition, the likes of Willock, Targett and Trippier weren’t considered as starters initially, as they continued their recoveries from long-term injury and or late return from international duty and very short pre-season.

Bruno and Gordon were another two who clearly would need time to get back up to their best, having played football pretty much non-stop for a year or more and like Trippier, having minimal pre-seasons.

When you add in the fact that Eddie Howe had also lost two promising young players to other Premier League clubs, due to a PSR deadline to meet three season limits, plus a transfer window that didn’t go totally according to plan for whatever reasons, the NUFC Head Coach had it tough before the season even kicked off.

Then to lose a key defender such as Fabian Schar for three matches and having to play the opening game with 10 men for 73 minutes, well, the signs weren’t promising.

Move on seven weeks and Newcastle United have played nine games in total in all competitions, winning five, drawing three and losing one.

Eddie Howe and his team are through to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup and are on 12 points in seventh, two points off fourth, having played four Premier League matches away and three at home, as well as having drawn away in both of their opening rounds of the Carabao Cup.

It made me laugh last weekend when many in the media were sympathising with Pep Guardiola when he turned up at St James’ Park with only eight subs not nine, plus two of them goalkeepers.

Pep was transparently taking the proverbial, as only on the Tuesday night leading up the NUFC match, he had made nine changes when playing Watford in the cup, bringing in the likes of Foden, Grealish, Lewis, Nunes and Stones.

Indeed, despite his ‘desperate’ bench, Pep at SJP still brought on Foden, Savinho and Doku, leaving the quality of the likes of Stones and £53m signing Nunes unused against Newcastle.

Which brings me to Newcastle United and Eddie Howe at Everton on Saturday.

Funnily enough, nobody mentioned, or was interested in, the fact that Eddie Howe had two goalkeepers on his bench at Goodison Park.

In Eddie’s case, for sure, not out of choice. Nor just for effect.

This was the Newcastle United bench at Everton:

Livramento, Longstaff, Almiron, Willock, Krafth, Osula, Kelly, Ruddy, Vlachodimos.

Eddie Howe was missing Isak, Wilson, Botman, Lewis Miley, Targett, Dubravka and Lascelles. Whilst the Head Coach has made clear that he doesn’t think Joe Willock is quite ready yet to be considered as a Premier League starter.

When you don’t have the biggest of squads to start with, that is a pretty substantial number and quality of players missing.

I do believe though that Eddie Howe sees finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

He said pretty much this ahead of Saturday’s game.

Eddie Howe looking forward to the point nine weeks into the season, after this second international break, when he has indicated that the likes of Isak, Wilson and Lewis Miley could all be back available. He also said that hopefully in the near future there could be a path set out for both Botman and Lascelles to start counting down to a first team squad return.

By the time of Brighton in two weeks time, I think fair to assume that both Willock and Targett could both be under consideration as well for the starting eleven, whilst hopefully Dubravka it isn’t anything serious after taking that blow to the knee against AFC Wimbledon.

Despite so many unavailable players and certainly a lack of attacking back up at Goodison Park, Eddie Howe’s side dominated away from home. Of course you still then have to add goals on the end of it but it is foolish not to at least acknowledge that Newcastle were by far the better team and on the vast majority of days would have won. Going away from home and having ten corners compared to Everton, 42 touches of the ball in the opposition penalty area compared to 12 for the scousers. You can say that at times possession stats (Newcastle had 67% of that as well) can be misleading but those corner stats and touches in the box, are overwhelming.

Our team just couldn’t finish them off.

Yes, Newcastle lost the ball at times but there was also some really nice football as well.

Every reason to believe that with returning players, especially in attack, on top of that, NUFC can push on from here. After this ‘disaster’ of five wins, three draws and just the one defeat, so far.

Newcastle United upcoming match schedule, confirmed so far to end of November:

Saturday 19 October – Newcastle v Brighton (3pm)

Sunday 27 October – Chelsea v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+

Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports