Newcastle are pushing for a top four finish in the Premier League and aiming to qualify for the UEFA Europa League in the new season. Captain Eddie Howe has revealed that despite the fierce competition for a top four spot, he doesn't feel too much pressure, compared to the past when the club was short of funds and in arrears with wages.
Eddie Howe, 45, ended his playing career at the age of 30 to take over as Blackburn's captain, and in the 2008-2009 season, he led the team through a financial crisis to avoid relegation. Since then, he has gradually promoted the team to the Premier League. Talking about that experience, Howe said: "In my first year of coaching, I encountered the plight of the police, the players were owed wages, and the debtors had no money to pay back. Those six months felt as long as a decade, experiencing things that many coaches struggle to encounter in their lives."
