Eddie Howe has acknowledged there could have been “a different outcome” had he not been admitted to hospital in time to treat the pneumonia he initially tried to ignore.
Newcastle’s manager has thanked the club’s doctor, Paul Catterson, for insisting he could not shrug off an illness Howe had initially self-diagnosed as flu and that he needed to seek urgent specialist treatment.
“I’m one of those people, probably like most men, who don’t necessarily offer yourself to doctors because you think: ‘I’ll be OK in a couple of days,’” Howe said as he prepared to return to the dugout against Ipswich at St James’ Park on Saturday after a three-game absence. “I was very thankful that the doctor here, Paul Catterson, acted quickly because, without that quick intervention, then, possibly, it could have been a different outcome.”
Catterson had become increasingly anxious about Howe and on the evening of Friday 11 April decided to visit him at his home in Northumberland. “Paul came to see me and it was him taking some blood tests that highlighted how serious the problem was,” said Howe, who would spend several nights in hospital. “Without him wanting to come and visit me, I don’t know … I feel very fortunate to have had that care because it wasn’t me going to him, it was him coming to me.
“I felt really bad but I didn’t know how bad. The symptoms were strange. I had a fever and quite a high temperature but I just wanted to sleep. In the end I was pleased to be told to go to hospital. It was a bit of a relief.”
The next step was to diagnose an infection sharing symptoms with assorted potential conditions, sepsis included. “It was a case of working out what was wrong,” said Howe. “As frightening as the word pneumonia is, that diagnosis was a bit of a relief.”
Howe suggested he has learned an important lesson. “I can’t guarantee it but I’d like to think I would act differently if I was feeling that way again. My message to everyone is: ‘Don’t suffer in silence. Seek out people who can help you.’ That’s really important.”
Howe had begun feeling unwell during Newcastle’s win at Leicester on 7 April. “I felt awful at Leicester,” he said. “But I planned to come back to training ahead of our next game against Manchester United. I had a shower but something was telling me: ‘No.’ I got back into bed. That was the moment things changed.”
Although Howe – who admits he is “not 100%” and remains restricted physically – said he hoped to return to his old working pattern of arriving at Newcastle’s training ground at 6am and sometimes not leaving until 7pm, the experience has changed him.
“It brings a sharper focus on what’s important in your life,” he said. “It brings clarity. You can’t take things for granted. When you’re feeling good you take your health for granted and when you’re suddenly faced with health issues, it’s difficult to deal with.
“This was something I couldn’t carry on through. That dents you and you feel you’re letting people down. But I have to accept that, to get back to full health, I must take small steps. I’m not 100% in my body but I’d like to think I’m very close to 100% in my mind.”
Howe was so ill he exerted “zero” impact on team affairs as his assistant, Jason Tindall, presided over wins against Manchester United and Crystal Palace before a defeat at Aston Villa. Although he watched the first two games on television he “wasn’t feeling well enough” to absorb the action properly.
Howe knew he was finally recovering when he picked up his laptop and started studying footage of Ipswich. “That was a great moment for me,” he said, smiling.
He will have taken particular note of Liam Delap. Newcastle are one of a number of clubs hoping to activate the striker’s £30m release clause this summer and Howe, who rarely talks about opposition players, is evidently a fan. “Liam Delap’s a big threat,” he said. “He’s having a great season. He’s got big strengths. He’s a very strong, powerful runner and he certainly knows where the goal is. He’s got a lot of potential.”
