Eddie Howe will be a "big miss" to Newcastle United's oldest season ticket holder, who has hailed him as one of the club's best managers. John Beeby, 96, attended 1,726 matches before finally seeing his beloved Magpies play in a cup final under Howe's leadership.
A historic cup win
When Newcastle won the Carabao Cup in 2025, John was among the crowd of around 300,000 people who gathered for the open-top bus parade to celebrate the club's first domestic silverware in 70 years. The former Swan Hunter's Shipyard worker from Newburn described it as one of the best days of his life.
Reflections on Howe's tenure
Reflecting on Howe's time at Newcastle, John said: "I like how he won the cup for us, that was a good stand out moment. But from the very beginning I liked how he made Joelinton into a brilliant midfield player."
He added: "He'll be a big miss Eddie Howe. I think he's been one of the best managers we've had for a while."
John compared Howe to Kevin Keegan's second spell at the club, saying: "I think what he's done what Keegan did when he came back again and that what you call him [Mike Ashley] brought Dennis Wise in and Keegan said 'I'm off, I'm the manager and I want to pick the players'."
"I think that's why Eddie Howe's gone," said John, adding: "He hasn't been allowed to manage, everything was out of his hands."
A lifelong fan
Since attending his first match at 17 years old, John has now attended 1,813 matches "and counting". He secured his first season ticket back in 1948, costing £12.
