Saturday promises to be a special day at St James' Park as top flight football returns on Tyneside after a 13-day hiatus. Top flight clubs will finally be able to pay respects to The Queen following her passing earlier this month.
For Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United staff, the tie with Bournemouth will mark the first time he has faced his former side since parting ways with the south coast outfit in 2020. The Magpies boss isn't one to get sentimental but did admit he owes his current position to his former club.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Howe admitted his gratitude to Bournemouth and everyone connected to the club but was his usual focused self as he looked ahead to Newcastle's Premier League return.
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"It's not just about me - we've got a lot of people who've got a lot of connections with the club. I personally feel a huge sense of gratitude to the club, to everyone connected with the club during my time there," Howe said.
"I wouldn't be sat in this position now if it wasn't for AFC Bournemouth and I just want to say a big thank you to everyone there. Obviously we're competing to win the game and desperate to do so, but it will be a special game.
"I do look back from time to time in terms of my work but in terms of sitting down and thinking about what we did, I'm not not that way inclined. At this stage of my career, for me it's always about the next achievement rather than looking back.
"Hopefully I'll get grey and old and there will come a time when I probably will look at it differently, but at the moment it's about the future and it's about tomorrow."
St James' Park, along with other top flight stadiums, will pay their respect to The Queen this weekend after the Premier League confirmed tribute information. Players and officials will don black armbands and gather at the centre circle, along with managers, before kick-off.
Supporters will be asked to observe a minute's silence before God Save The King is played. In-house screens and electronic advertising boards will display tribute images to The Queen and flags at all stadiums will be flying at half-mast. Fans will also be invited to take part in a minute's applause in the 70th-minute of each fixture.
Howe was asked about The Queen's passing on Friday and believes Newcastle supporters will pay tribute in the correct way on the weekend. "I think that's the beauty of football, in moments like this national mourning for The Queen," he said.
"I think the beauty of football is that we do get a chance to come together as a nation, up and down the country, and pay tribute to the fantastic life she had and what she did for our country. That's what football does best, I think."
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