• Published
  20 April 2026

My broadcasting position on Saturday for BBC Final Score was in amongst the Newcastle fans, so it was a fascinating insight into their state of mind in a run of eight Premier League defeats in 11 games for the side.

The atmosphere around me was flat in the first half with bursts of anger and frustration from some of the supporters, before boos at half time.

Yes, the crowd was lifted by the equaliser from William Osula, but after Adrien Truffert’s winner for Bournemouth, the boos were much louder at the full-time whistle.

Make no mistake, Magpies boss Eddie Howe is under huge pressure, and there are fans who appear to have lost faith in his ability to get this team back on track.

When I walked into the post-match news conference, Howe was being asked if he thinks this situation can be turned around, and he brought up the return of Bruno Guimaraes as a possible “catalyst”.

But, what caught the attention of the journalists in the room was Howe’s pause after a question about whether his squad shares “his fire” to get back to winning ways.

Eventually – after the hesitation – he insisted that day in, day out, he sees a group of players “always giving their all.”

There are now five games left this season for Newcastle, starting with a tough trip to Arsenal, and despite all the good times since his arrival at the club, Howe will surely know that he’s now fighting to win back the support and the faith of the fan base.