People have probably had enough of you’: Eddie Howe admits he ‘needed to leave’ Bournemouth in 2020
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‘There comes a time when people have probably had enough of you’: Eddie Howe admits he ‘needed to leave’ Bournemouth after reaching his ‘shelf life’ in over a decade at the club as he prepares for an emotional return as Newcastle boss this weekend
- Eddie Howe has reflected on his time at Bournemouth and his departure in 2020
- Howe returns to the Cherries as Newcastle United manager on Saturday
- Former Bournemouth boss admits he had reached his ‘useful life’ at the club
Eddie Howe says he had reached his ‘shelf life’ at Bournemouth but still laments Sheffield United’s ‘ghost goal’ against Aston Villa that relegated his team.
It was in 2020, in the first game after the covid-19 lockdown, that Hawk-Eye did not concede a United goal at Villa Park. The match ended goalless with Villa ultimately surviving by one point, at Howe’s Bournemouth expense.
The Newcastle manager returns to his former club for the first time on Saturday since leaving following relegation. And he has opened up about the reasons for his departure from the club where he directed for 11 years in two periods.
“In management, you don’t have an infinite amount of time at one job,” he said. ‘There’s a time when people have probably had enough of you, to be honest.
“I’m talking about the players. So you have to do one of two things, either constantly change players, or the coach has to go.
Eddie Howe (right) prepares to return to his old Bournemouth pitch with Newcastle on Saturday
Howe’s Newcastle are flying high under his guidance and chasing Champions League football.
Howe has significantly transformed his career at Newcastle having left Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League in 2020.
“I always think there is a lifespan for a manager and I probably got to that point where, for the football club, I really needed to move on.”
Howe, who led the Cherries from League Two to the Premier League and stayed there for five seasons, added: “I never felt like I had lost control. I was incredibly frustrated that season. I felt we had a good squad of players.
But everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We had crippling injuries. If you look at some of the equipment that I had to take out, we were constantly catching up. When the players returned, they were not physically fit enough to play at their best.
Then Covid hit, and that took away a big weapon from us which was the crowd in the stadium.
Howe admits he blames Sheffield United’s ‘ghost goal’ as the reason for their 2020 relegation
Villa added a point that contributed to their survival and Bournemouth’s relegation
‘Then we had the phantom goal (Sheffield United against Aston Villa) which ultimately cost us relegation, because without that we would have stayed on top. Many things turned against us.
“Sitting here now was a great learning experience, even if it was painful for me and for the club. It’s great to see Bournemouth back in the Premier League.”