Newcastle: If anyone at Newcastle United believes Premier League safety will be handed to the Magpies on a silver platter, they’re sadly mistaken – that’s the view of head coach Eddie Howe.
Having stretched their gap to the bottom three to five points with a 1-1 draw at West Ham United last weekend, that became four by last Saturday evening due to results elsewhere, then just two points in midweek as fellow relegation-threatened side Burnley recorded their second win on the bounce.
And, while that buffer may have led to some thinking safety and a place in the top flight next season is a given, Howe is under no illusions.
He’s also not one to panic, believing Newcastle’s destiny remains in their own hands.
Howe said: “There are no surprises in Burnley’s results, as they will never give up. No team at the bottom of the table will give up.
“It is going to go right to the end of the season. The fight to stay in the league will go right to the wire. From our side, we have to take care of our own business. And that is consistently winning games, consistently getting points and trying to push, elevate ourselves away from trouble.
“If anyone thought safety would be given to us by the other teams they are mistaken. This is the hardest league in the world for a reason. Our destiny is in our own hands – and that’s the way we wanted it to be.”
If Howe’s team are to retain their top-flight status, they’ll definitely have to do it the hard way.
After their trip to Brentford this weekend, Newcastle then host Brighton before taking on Southampton, Chelsea and Everton away, as well as a home tie with Crystal Palace, all in the space of just 11 days.
When asked about the rearranged fixtures against the Saints and Toffees being sandwiched in two March midweeks – both are on Thursday evenings – Howe said: “Not ideal. We were surprised by the fixture congestion, especially as we have a lot of away games in such a short space of time. But what can we do about it? Nothing. So we will play the games and we will play the best way possible.”
Brentford at home – which ended in a 3-3 draw at St. James’ Park in November – marked the start of the Howe era at United. Well, of sorts.
Despite it being Howe’s first game in charge of the Magpies, he had to watch the game from his Newcastle Quayside hotel room having tested positive for COVID-19 in squad testing the previous night.
“I have said many times, that was one of the worst 90 minutes of my football life, as I was powerless to control a game that was so important.
“Thomas Frank has done a tremendous job at Brentford. Getting promoted in the manner they did, the way they’ve played this season – they’ve been very good. We do not underestimate them, especially not at home. I think we have got to be prepared for a tough encounter and maintain our standards.”
A win for United this afternoon could take them above the Bees, while defeat, depending on results elsewhere, could result in them ending the weekend dipped back into the dropzone.