Newcastle news: Opinion – Can Howe and Magpies make Champions League?

Well then. We certainly have come crashing back down to earth haven’t we? Newcastle United played Aston Villa at the weekend and lost. You probably already know that. I had to remind myself, so swiftly did I Men-In-Black that performance from my mind.

You can point to all sorts as the reason for the poor performance at Villa Park. Fatigue, the same starting eleven for the last six games, Aston Villa were better, wanted it more, more organised. All of these things could be true, and all are decidedly not good as we hope to secure a Champions League spot for next season. In fact, all the results we needed didn’t come through this weekend.

All is not lost. Nowhere near it. I think Newcastle United seriously miss Eddie Howe, who was hospitalised with pneumonia a little over a week ago. By absolutely no means do I want to rush him back – rest is absolutely key – you could see that we missed him when it came to in-game management and tactical tweaks.

This is not to say his second in command, Jason Tindall (known affectionately as ‘Mad Dog’ in these parts), is doing a bad job. He is not. One of the strengths of our coaching team is that they’re a team, and they know their jobs and what is needed on the pitch. There is a reason, however, that Howe is in the head coach position. He’s the man that spent over a year learning how to be better at coaching. He’s the man who just won us our first domestic trophy in 70 years.

His health is the priority – but I can’t wait for him to return. I know that securing a Champions League spot is what he wants, what we want, and what the players want. I just hope we can do that by the end of the season with him in the dugout again.

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast