Eddie Howe to block out the 'noise' ahead of first match as Newcastle manager

Former Bournemouth coach under pressure to guide club out of relegation zone and match lofty ambitions of new owners

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 09: Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe takes his first training session at the Newcastle United Training Centre on November 09, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

Isaac Hayden on the ball as Eddie Howe watches on his first training session.

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

New Newcastle United coach Eddie Howe takes his first session at the club's training centre.

Eddie Howe said he must separate himself from the "noise" that comes with being Newcastle United manager in the club's new era as he prepares to take charge of his first match, weeks after the Saudi-led takeover.

The former Bournemouth manager was appointed earlier this month and while the new owners have lofty ambitions for Newcastle, Howe's immediate task is steering the club out of the Premier League relegation zone, starting against Brentford on Saturday.

Howe is under huge pressure to deliver at St James' Park, but he insists he will not get caught up in the external noise.

"I have to separate myself from the noise because the noise isn't going to help me in the job and my dealings with the players, so I think that's going to be one of the most important factors for me," Howe, 43, said.

"I have always prided myself with my work with the players, my interactions with them, the way that I have tried to improve them.

"That can't change despite the bits of my job now, the demands on my time that are going to be huge. But I have to prioritise, so I think that's going to be a key thing for me."

Howe admitted the Newcastle role was a big challenge – the club has not won major silverware since 1969.

"You can sense that it's a huge job," he said. "There's a real yearning from the supporters to be successful, to produce a team that they enjoy watching – that's the big challenge ahead for us."

Howe, who has been out of work since he left Bournemouth in August 2020, said the start of his tenure, during an international break, had been a whirlwind.

"I can say with all honesty I have seen the training ground and I have seen my hotel," he said. "I haven't seen Newcastle in the light yet – tomorrow will actually be the first day that I step into Newcastle when it's daylight."

The club have collected just five of the first 33 points on offer in the Premier League this season and are five points from safety but it is a challenge that does not faze Howe.

"At Bournemouth, every year we were in a relegation battle," he said. "For the first four years, we achieved our objective and stayed in the Premier League.

"So I've been in the position many, many times. It's not nice, it's not enjoyable to be fighting relegation."