Newcastle United skipper Dan Burn has revealed Eddie Howe's mood was low after the final day defeat to Fulham at the end of last season - but admits he never expected him to quit his job as Toon boss.
Burn caught off guard by Howe's departure
Speaking in-depth about Howe's departure for the first time, Burn faced reporters after the 1-1 draw with Strasbourg at St James' Park and confessed he was caught a little off guard by his sudden departure after the 4-1 defeat against Bristol City. At that time, Burn was still recovering from the World Cup on an extended holiday and woke up to the news in Canada with Newcastle rocked by Howe's departure.
When asked if he had an inkling Howe would walk, Burn told Chronicle Live: "No, if I'm honest, I didn't think he was going to do it. I knew he was disappointed after the Fulham game, but I thought after the summer he was going to be ready to come back, so I spoke to him regularly in the off-season."
"But yeah, I was in Canada when I found out, I just had a few texts when I woke up. Listen, I think there's always time for change, and Eddie obviously thought that it was time for him to step away."
Burn's journey under Howe and new boss Jaissle
Burn was signed by Howe in 2022 and has been part of a remarkable journey from the bottom of the Premier League to the Champions League with the Carabao Cup victory along the way. His never-to-be-forgotten header at Wembley earned him a place in Geordie folklore but now he hopes to use all of his experience to help the new gaffer Matthias Jaissle.
Burn said: "I've played under a lot of managers unfortunately, so I've tried to take a little bit from everything, but in my experience change can be good if you put that effort into it and embrace the new change and the new philosophy, so as a club and as a city I hope that's what we're going to do this season."
"I think the younger lads are going to need a lot of support this year, so yeah, I'm hoping that the crowd can bring that." The 6ft 7in defender was one of Howe's key men and also played a crucial part in Thomas Tuchel's England side during the World Cup finals in the summer.
Similarities between Howe and Jaissle
With Jaissle a disciple of ex-Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund boss Tuchel, after working under him at Stuttgart, Burn sees similarities in both coaches. Burn said: "A little bit, yeah, a little bit, I think with the German style of coaching, the ideas that they like to bring. There's obviously similarities still with how we have played [under Howe], it's still high energy and high pressing, but there's little tweaks to it."
"It's sometimes hard when you're used to doing things for four and a half years and it's muscle memory to stop yourself doing the same thing again, so as I said those are the bits that I think will take time, because I think there's a lot of things that have been drilled into it over the last four and a half years that maybe this manager doesn't want straight away."
"But I think it's good that the lads are open to learning. I'm looking forward to the first game of the season."
