Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes that Eddie Howe has a tough challenge on his hands to keep Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The 43-year-old was appointed as the Magpies boss on Monday afternoon, becoming the new owners’ first permanent managerial appointment since they took over last month.
Graeme Jones, who has taken charge on an interim basis since Steve Bruce left, is expected to stay at the club, with Howe’s full coaching staff set to be announced in the coming days.
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It’s safe to say the ex-Bournemouth coach has a huge job on his hands to secure survival in the top-flight given the Magpies’ dismal start to the season.
Newcastle have failed to win any of their opening 11 league matches and currently sit in 19th, five points from safety.
“It’s a difficult task,” Smith told Sky Sports when asked about keeping United in the top-flight.
“But he’s got a lot of games to play with.
“You can go through the fixtures and think ‘he could get something here or there’ but you never quite know.
“They’ve certainly got to raise their game a great deal. First and foremost, he’s got to sort out that defence which has been nowhere near good enough.
“It’d be great for him to get off to a good start just to try and get momentum going – I think that’s important.
“Get the fans on his side and get the players on his side. They’ll all be having a good look at him in the first few training sessions, listening to what he says and how he’s setting up the team.
“Players being players, they tend to make up their minds as to whether they think this fella is any good or not but that comes with getting results.
“If he puts out a side that starts to work and get some results then they build faith in the manager and that’s vital.”
Howe’s first game at the helm is a crucial one, as his Magpies side face Brentford at St James’ Park on Saturday, November 20.
He will be hoping to get off to the perfect start in his pursuit of keeping them in the division and re-building his reputation after doing a superb job at Bournemouth.
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