Ladies and Gentlemen, Newcastle could be playing Four-Four-f***ing-Two! Eddie Howe is relishing chance to start strikers Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson together at Brentford… but insists his approach is much more nuanced than Mike Bassett

Eddie Howe could be ready to release Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson for only the second time this season, but says his 4-4-2 is more nuanced than Mike Bassett’s.

Newcastle need a win over Brentford today to ensure they finish in the European places, and they must then hope that Manchester United lose in the FA Cup final.

To achieve that, Howe is considering whether to deploy two strikers as Wilson returns from illness for the trip to west London.

He paired Wilson and Isak at Burnley earlier this month and both were on target in a 4-1 win.

And Howe was asked whether there was still a place in the modern game for the formation used by fictional England boss Mike Bassett in the hit film.

England international Callum Wilson (left) could be released alongside Alexander Isak (right) as Newcastle look to finish in the European places during the final Premier League weekend

Howe said his 4-4-2 is more nuanced than that of fictional England boss Mike Bassett (right)

‘I’ll make one thing clear: it’s not a Mike Bassett 4-4-2 we’re playing!’ he said. “I can’t believe I’m saying that… it’s a little more complex than that.

“But with these two players, with the qualities they have, they can definitely play together.”

How big of a deal has it been that they’re both not available for much of the season?

“Along with many other things, this has been one of the biggest factors impacting the season,” Howe said. “Go back to the season before, I was getting them in and out. It was a brilliant option to have. As soon as one looked tired, I could replace them.

‘The competition between them was healthy and it seemed to drive them both on. If you only have one available, the competition is lost. It can have a harmful effect. One of them then had to stay on the field while he was not at his physical best. I would have liked the opportunity to play them together more, but every manager would have those stories to tell.”

Meanwhile, Howe was asked whether the club’s Saudi owners retain their ambition to become the No. 1 club in the world, as they have previously stated.

“The ambition is there, but you have to work within reality,” he said. ‘And the reality is that off the field we are not yet the No. 1 club in terms of revenue, or the No. 1 club in many areas. So it takes us a lot of effort to get there.

‘But they are very serious about it. I didn’t see any other clues. The problem is that in other sports (golf, boxing) you can invest whatever you want. That’s certainly not possible and I think that’s the point, and that’s a topic of conversation for anyone involved in football at the moment.

Isak (pictured) and Wilson have scored 34 goals between them, with the Swedish striker trailing only Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer in the Premier League goalscoring charts this season

Newcastle may not play in Europe even if they get the result they want on Sunday, as they will have to wait to see if Manchester United can take their place by winning next week’s FA Cup final.

‘Everyone wants to grow the club quickly, but I don’t think you can see it as a race.

‘The club will progress to the extent that the rules allow. I understand that everyone wants success yesterday. It is sometimes my job to keep that under control and give a better picture of what is happening at the football club.

“Yes, we are trying to grow it, but the players and staff have done incredibly well in the time I have been here. In my opinion we have made very rapid progress and everyone has done incredibly well, so I understand the demand for more, but you have to remember that we have done well so far.”