The Tynesiders slipped to a fourth defeat in their last five league games when they were beaten 3-2 by Everton at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon, and the fans are rapidly beginning to lose patience with the manager.

The Magpies are now 12 points adrift of the top four and are slowly watching their domestic campaign fade away as they struggle to put a halt to their recent slide.

Howe’s position is under ever-increasing scrutiny in the North East at the moment, and the walls may finally be about to start closing in on him.

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Newcastle hit rock bottom with their home form

For years, Newcastle have relied on their fierce atmosphere at St James’ Park to provide an intimidating and challenging place for opposition teams to play, but it simply isn’t like that at the moment.

The Magpies haven’t won at home in the league since the 4-3 win over Leeds United on 7 January, and since then, their fortunes have turned from bad to worse.

Howe’s men have now tasted four consecutive league defeats on home turf, a low which they haven’t hit for 12 years, according to LiveScore.

Those defeats came at the hands of Aston Villa, Brentford, Manchester City and Everton, and they have potentially eliminated any chances of Newcastle being able to salvage their league campaign.

Their current form is providing shades of the attritional teams who had to scrap for every point just to stay in the Premier League in years gone by, and is certainly not reflective of the squad that Howe has at his disposal.

Newcastle’s home record ranked against Premier League rivals, as per Transfermarkt.Howe’s position has been growing increasingly precarious in recent weeks, but he is surely now closer to the sack than he has ever been after his team have slipped to this new low.

Where does Eddie Howe rank in the Premier League’s sack race?

Newcastle’s board have been reluctant to acknowledge the pressure that Howe is under at the moment, and they clearly remain keen to try and keep him in charge for as long as possible.

The 48-year-old is currently overseeing another promising run in the Champions League, but he is at risk of potentially tarnishing that with the ever-worsening league campaign.

The favourites to become the Premier League’s next sacking.The former Bournemouth boss is among several top-flight chiefs who are feeling the heat at the moment, and in the eyes of one of the UK’s leading bookmakers, his chances of getting the boot have increased after Saturday’s defeat.

Howe has seen his odds of becoming the division’s next sacking slashed down to 16/1, with only Oliver Glasner, Scott Parker and Fabian Hurzeler seen as more likely candidates to be sacked next.

Newcastle’s resolve will continue to be tested if results do not improve, but it has already become clear that the manager has stepped into uncharted territory.

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