Why Eddie Howe's Newcastle Departure Is Reminiscent Of His AFCB Resignation

Eddie Howe departing Newcastle United after 5 years in charge has come to a relief to many Toon fans across the country, and despite AFCB fans not having a sense of relief when Howe left in 2020, many more factors have aligned to why both departures are so similar. 

When Bournemouth were relegated from the Premier League in 2020, Howe looked devoid of ideas, burnt out and in need of some time away from the game. Reports today have suggested that these 3 pointers are prevalent this time round too, with Howe set to take some time out of football for the foreseeable future. 

As well as this, as shown below, Eddie Howe was not sacked from his job as Newcastle United manager, instead he resigned, even though the Newcastle Hierarchy were keen for him to stay as manager. Howe also resigned as Bournemouth manager as he felt he has taken the club to their peak under his management. 

When Cherries got relegated in 2020, it came straight after lockdown during the 'Project Restart' phase of the season, and in this period, Bournemouth won just 2 of their 9 league games. Losses to Crystal Palace & Steve Bruce's Newcastle stuck out as the poorest performances in this period, with many fans not being happy with the style of football. 

In his last 9 games as Newcastle manager, Howe's side matched his form at the end of his management at Bournemouth, winning 2 games, drawing 1 and losing 6. A 7-2 loss to Barcelona, and 2-1 loss at home to bitter rivals Sunderland created a toxic atmosphere at St James' Park, with boos becoming louder and louder with every misplaced pass, missed shot or poor substitution.

AFCB travelled to St James' Park in mid April, where they grafted out a crucial 2-1 win against a lacklustre Newcastle side. As little as 15 minutes into the game, there was an overpowering sense of frustration and annoyance towards the way his side were playing against Bournemouth. Without Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle looked like a side destined for relegation, not a team with fans who want to see them win trophies and qualify for the Champions League. 

Even though Newcastle were not relegated from the Premier League in the 25/26 season like Bournemouth were in 19/20, it was still a massively under par season in relation to expectations at the start of the campaign. 

In 24/25, Newcastle finished in 5th place, just 5 points behind 3rd placed Manchester City, which saw them qualify for the Champions League. Whereas, in 25/26, Newcastle finished in 12th place, just 5 points ahead of 16th placed Nottingham Forest. This shows a clear dip in performances on the pitch.

In 18/19, AFCB finished in 14th place, 11 points off the drop and 12 points behind European Qualification, so solidly midtable. However, in 19/20, Cherries finished in 18th place, level on points with Watford in 19th. 

These trends in league performance and unrest in fanbases shows that Howe tends to leave once he realises that he has reached maximum capabilities as manager of the club, giving the chance for the club to rebuild under a new manager with a different style of football and new ideas.