Eddie Howe's passionate dressing room speech before guiding Newcastle United to a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in 2023 has resurfaced as he is being touted as a potential replacement for Michael Carrick at Old Trafford. Howe, who left Newcastle over the summer after five years in the north-east, has a record of beating United and is now among the available candidates for the job.
Howe's Record Against Manchester United
Howe, 48, has won just eight of his 21 meetings with United, though six of those wins came over the course of his last eight encounters as Newcastle boss. The Magpies lost the EFL Cup final to United in February 2023 before the teams reconvened several months later, when Howe used Erik ten Hag's own words against him to inspire his troops to victory.
In a clip from Amazon Prime Video's 'We Are Newcastle United' docuseries, Howe relayed Ten Hag's comments to his players: "They have the lowest ball-in-play time in the league and are quite successful at slowing the game down. It's an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way to play against them. So it's up to us that we get the speed in the game and we are also dependent on the refereeing as well."
The Inspirational Speech
Howe then delivered his own message: "Why am I telling you that? If they want a quick game coming here, let's f*****g give it to them. Let's blow them away with our running, let's be intense in every action that we do, let's make it a quick game. Let's go."
Newcastle went on to beat United 2-0 that day, with late goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson proving the difference. That victory also started a streak of three consecutive Newcastle wins in their head-to-head rivalry.
United's Current Struggles
Howe holds a reputation as being mild-mannered in his approach and rarely letting his emotions get the better of him on the touchline. United incumbent Carrick might be described as similarly soft-tempered, not that it has granted much fortune at Old Trafford of late.
A 4-1 demolition at the hands of Como in the Champions League on Tuesday has stretched United's winless run to seven games, sparking more intense talk of Carrick being replaced in the near future. While it's hardly reaching the levels of Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous hairdryer treatment, Howe's speech showed a certain knack for knowing what to say and how to say it. On the other hand, one might argue Newcastle were simply the better team during that period.
A change of leader looks all but inevitable for United if the current malaise in results persists. And some fans may find it comforting to see Howe in a more impassioned light amid rumours he's in the running to take over if that's the case.
