Daniel Wales and Joe Buck react to the news that Eddie Howe is to return to managing Newcastle United on Saturday.
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00:00Eddie Howe is set to return to Newcastle United's touchline for their home fixture against Ipswich Town at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League after missing three games with pneumonia.
00:14It's been an interesting period for Newcastle. Graham Jones and primarily Jason Tindall have taken charge of the first team and overseen two wins and a loss.
00:22Manchester United beating 4-1, Crystal Palace beating 5-0 and then Aston Villa defeating Newcastle by four goals to one.
00:30It has left Newcastle fifth in the Premier League but with a game in hand that is against Ipswich and could see them return back into third place potentially in the Premier League.
00:40Eddie Howe though, as I said, set to make his return to the touchline having recovered in hospital and then at home from his bout of pneumonia.
00:47So, we'll now go to Joe Buck from the Shields Gazette who has reacted to the news.
00:55Joe, thoughts on this one? Eddie Howe coming back. Obviously, it's going to be a boost for Newcastle United but just how much of a boost will it be for the players and the rest of the staff as well as the supporters going forward for the final four games of the season?
01:11Because, of course, Newcastle are still looking to get into those Champions League places. Jason Tindall and Graham Jones, as I mentioned, have done a pretty good job on their own without how.
01:20But, do you believe that Eddie Howe being back on the touchline will provide a huge boost to all associated with the club?
01:27Yeah, for sure. The players will love it. They'll be happy to see their manager back there and, of course, the fans will love it as well.
01:34You know what St James' Park is like, when it's up for it, sometimes it can be a bit subdued, you know, but that goes with any sort of match ever, really.
01:42And Ipswich Town at home on Saturday isn't one that sometimes, you know, will traditionally get the crowd up.
01:46But to see Eddie Howe on the touchline should raise the crowd and then hopefully the players can feed on that.
01:51And, you know, it is an important game as much as it is Ipswich who can be relegated.
01:56So, again, it is a huge game. And to have Eddie Howe there will just lift everyone, as you say, and it'll just be, hopefully the players can return that with a win.
02:02And, yeah, just get, you know, set themselves up for a really tough four games to come.
02:07I think, yeah, for sure. It will definitely inspire. I think in the first 10 minutes, you can imagine the players will be up for it.
02:12Because, as you say, they will be wanting to play for him again, even though he hasn't, you know, he was just in hospital.
02:16But I think it will lift the crowd, certainly. I think that will be a big thing.
02:19And I just think that the calmness Eddie Howe sort of has on the touchline, you know, like Jason Tindall's obviously a little bit more animated than him.
02:26And I think Eddie Howe just brings a level of calm to the sidelines.
02:31And I think the players will feed off that. So, especially if there's, you know, if they either go a goal behind or if there's any sort of, you know, moments in the game where it's a bit flat.
02:39I think that will, Eddie Howe's presence will just lift it.
02:42And, yeah, as you say, it is an awkward moment because you can't keep playing for either Madru there or not there.
02:46You know, you've got to have some sort of level of performance at some point.
02:48But, yeah, it'll be a big thing.
02:50And I think it'll be, the effects of that will be more sort of in a couple of weeks' time when he's, well, obviously definitely back for Brighton and Chelsea.
02:57That'll be where we'll see probably the big benefits of him being there.
03:00Because, as I said, no disrespect to Ipswich.
03:03I imagine that no matter who's on the touchline this weekend, you guys will probably, probably win the game.
03:07If they're going to beat Champions League team next year, they can't not win games against Ipswich Town, especially at this point of the season where the pressure's on.
03:15I remember the away game.
03:16I think everyone went into that worrying if it was going to be a banana skin.
03:20You know, that Ipswich hadn't, at that point, hadn't won at home.
03:22And you felt Newcastle going there after a couple of wins.
03:25You thought, this is going to be one.
03:26And they were absolutely brilliant that day.
03:28I mean, Ipswich weren't very good, but Newcastle was fantastic.
03:30They just, you know, swept the floor.
03:32The Mads have done with a lot of teams.
03:33You know, they've just put three or four goals past them and, you know, that's been it.
03:37So I'm hoping, or maybe not hoping, but I'm expecting it might be similar this weekend, actually.
03:41Because they did it against Palace, although that, you know, the penalty, that could have changed the game.
03:46And they sort of did it against Manchester United, although it took a little bit longer.
03:48So I'm expecting them just to be on it.
03:50And they don't have to be on it for long.
03:52You know, they've seen in games, like Forest, for example, they only have to play for 20, 30 minutes at the highest level.
03:57Get a couple of goals and then they can sort of take the foot off the gas.
03:59So hopefully that can be the same this Saturday.
04:02They'll have to be wary, you know, Ipswich, as much as they're not relegated yet, as you say, they could be.
04:06Which means, will they play with a bit more freedom?
04:08Will they think, oh, actually, you know, we've got nothing to lose?
04:12But they've got a lot of injuries.
04:13I've just done a piece for the Shields is that they've got A players definitely out, which is, you know,
04:18any squad's going to suffer with that, never mind a squad who's needed to promote from the Championship.
04:23And of course, they were a League One team a couple of years ago.
04:25So, yeah, it is a shame to see Ipswich relegated.
04:28I've liked them.
04:29They've seen, they've been a bit of a breath of fresh air this year.
04:32Certainly put up a better fight in Southampton than Leicester.
04:34But it should be a game that Newcastle will win comfortably.
04:37And, you know, as I keep saying, it's just getting through this weekend and setting themselves up for the remaining games.
04:42So, yeah, it's just getting through this weekend.