Back in November, Eddie Howe celebrated four years as Newcastle United manager, and it’s been an eventful tenure to say the least.

Only seven other managers have been in charge of more games, and Howe has done what the likes of modern contemporaries Sir Bobby Robson, Kevin Keegan and Alan Pardew couldn’t do, and won that elusive piece of domestic silverware with the 2025 Carabao Cup.

But the manager has now admitted that even he is unlikely to see one of the biggest events in our recent history occurring whilst he is still manager, and has called on the club’s higher-ups to deliver…

Howe on stadium and training ground wait

Speaking to the media this week, Eddie Howe addressed the ongoing talk surrounding our future stadium plans, which are no clearer now than they were a year ago.

CEO David Hopkinson views moving forward with our updated stadium plans as a matter of priority, with the commercial expert knowing just how financially lucrative upgrading St James’ Park could be.

And from a footballing point-of-view, Howe wants to see things happen sooner rather than later…

“Fundamentally looking at the club with a broader view, you look at the training ground, stadium – that part of the club is in limbo at the moment.

“In terms of which direction the club is going to take, that would be a big step forward, to get clarity on that and to take everything into the future in a really positive way. It would have a game-changing effect on everything.

“I am also talking about the Academy in that. The brilliant work that goes on down there, if we can move everything forward in terms of facilities – not that I believe facilities are the be all and end all, they are a great way of setting standards higher and showing your ambition in a clear and strong way – that would be a game-changer when that happens.

“The ambition is there from everyone to make that happen.”

Howe: I’m unlikely to be here to see end result

But the manager has admitted that the plans look to be in a state of limbo, and he’s unsure if he’ll still be the manager by the time we eventually decide to move from St James’ Park.

And it’s more than just the stadium move that Howe doesn’t expect to oversee, as he has questioned the slow speed in which our training ground plans appear to be moving at.

“If there is extra time taken to make the right decisions – and I’m not across the day-to-day decision-making process – so the stadium project is correct and it’s the right one for Newcastle for how ever many years the club is there, then take the extra time.

“It’s the same with the training ground. You need the right site and designs. I would rather it was correct than rushed.

“I know there’s a 99.9 per cent chance that I’m not going to see either in my position, but I’m still passionate about making sure it’s there for the future generations of Newcastle, whether that’s supporters or players.

“The board recognises how important that is too, so I think the ambition and drive is there to do it and work is going on behind the scenes. There just needs to be a bit of patience to make sure it’s the right solution for everybody.”