Eddie Howe hadn’t seen his young family for three weeks before Monday’s impressive win over Arsenal, a game that was followed by a lap of honour was euphoric as any seen at St James’ Park in recent times.
These are the sacrifices that Howe has been prepared to make to turn Newcastle around from the worst start in the club’s history to the unity and elation of the Arsenal win.
So far, those long nights away from his family since his autumn appointment are proving worth it. “There’s a feeling [in the family] we’re doing it jointly. We have made it work but I miss them greatly,” he admits.
Monday night was a bit of validation; his three children and wife sat for the first time in the stands at St James’ Park to see the fruits of those long days spent apart.
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“I knew it would be special, that feeling inside the stadium and the walk around at the end. I wanted them to experience that, to bring them closer to the club,” he says.
“The result, the performance, made it even better. If they had watched that on the TV, I would have been crying inside for them. The fact they were there, it was a brilliant moment.”
The joy was magnified when he was shown video of his 10-year-old son doing a Cruyff turn on the pitch, something he’d worked on with him in their back garden for months. “He plays slightly within himself in matches but he’s done it in front of 50,000 at St James’ Park now so the pressure is on!” Howe joked.
The Newcastle manager is not normally a man prone to grand gestures. He says he celebrated safety, only officially confirmed last week, with “an internal ‘Get in there’”.
He describes himself as someone who is prone to obsession. He’ll take his first trip to the cinema “for years” this summer to watch the upcoming documentary about his favourite band a-ha, who he’s also got tickets to see live in Bournemouth the week after the season finishes.
Aside from that, most of his time in Newcastle is spent at the training ground. “I love working and I love the thought of trying to improve myself, so if I think there’s something that I think will make me better, I’ll do it. I’m fully invested in every step to try to bring success. I do believe there are no short-cuts to it, I think you have to do the work,” he says.
Howe does not seek the limelight or to be celebrated but what’s clear is the players, staff and supporters love him.
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“My personality is introverted. I’m not an extrovert, I don’t seek attention. I’ve always been that way. I do keep a low profile – I don’t need adulation in my life. The joy for me comes from coaching and trying to win matches,” he says.
After the final game of the season at Burnley, Howe will take his family on a road trip to California for a fortnight – his first break since moving to Newcastle. The phone, though, will keep ringing.
“I’ll not be able to switch off,” he says.
“The summer is always about recruitment and it’s probably the most important part of the season because you’re always going to be judged on your signings and you’re only as good as the people you bring in. It’ll be an uncomfortable time for me because you’re not in control of it.”
The image of Newcastle as the richest club in the world, linked with the biggest players on the market, has percolated since the Saudi takeover but the reality this summer is different.
The Magpies will be busy but on a realistic budget, impacted by the big January spend and Financial Fair Play.
“There has to be realistic expectations on what we can spend. Our income at the moment as a football club isn’t as big as we want it to be in the future, so that impacts our ability to spend. For those people that think it’s a vast sum of money, well, it’s wrong.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t improve the squad, but it’ll have to be bit by bit, it can’t be an overnight thing, and that’s due to the fact we need to expand revenue streams.
“I’ve always had the mindset that you’ve got to be creative and not moan or whinge at what you’re given.
“The vision is a long-term vision. It’s not the next two or three years – it’s I believe the next five-to-eight years.”
For now, Howe is content laying foundations to ensure he’ll be at Newcastle to oversee it all.
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