Newcastle United, the only representative of Northern England in the Premier League, is having one of its most successful seasons under the management of Eddie Howe. Newcastle United, who won the League Cup by beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley and brought the city its first cup joy in 70 years, rose to third place in the Premier League by beating Chelsea 2-0. If they finish the season in the top five, they will participate in the Champions League.
If Howe’s team had not lost against Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Fulham at Saint James’ Park this season and had won these four matches, Liverpool would not have declared the championship yet. Because Liverpool in the first place would have 83 points, and Newcastle United in the second place would have 78 points.
No English manager has won the Premier League title in the last 33 years. That’s why Premier League teams seem to prefer foreign coaches. Of the 20 teams in the Premier League this season, only Newcastle United (Eddie Howe) and West Ham United (Graham Potter) are managed by English coaches. Apart from these, four coaches each from Spain and Portugal, two each from the Netherlands and Scotland, and one coach each from Northern Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Australia, Italy and Germany are working in the Premier League. 47-year-old Eddie Howe stands out as the English coach currently closest to winning the Premier League title. What he has done at Newcastle United indicates that he can win the Premier League title in the near future.
For 33 years, English coaches have not been able to win championships not only in the national leagues but also in the international arena. The last time an English coach won a World Cup or European Championship was 1966 (58 years ago). British coach Alf Ramsey made his country champion in the 1966 World Cup hosted by England. Ramsey was the first and the last. Recently, Gareth Southgate could not experience the joy of championship despite helping England play the finals in Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 and was replaced by German coach Thomas Tuchel.
It has been 43 years since a British coach won a championship in European cups. In the UEFA Cup, where only three English coaches won the championship, Bob Paisley led Liverpool in the 1975-76 season; Sir Bobby Robson managed Ipswich Town in the 1980-81 season; Tony Barton also took Aston Villa to the top in the 1981-82 season.
In the Champions League (Champion Clubs’ Cup), where only three English coaches won the championship, Bob Paisley managed Liverpool in the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons; Brian Clough managed Nottingham Forest in the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons; Joe Fagan also made Liverpool champions in the 1983-84 season.
Why are English managers failing?
So why are English managers failing or not given enough chances? Football has experienced incredible change tactically in the last 30 years. Different styles have emerged, from Pep Guardiola’s positional play to Jürgen Klopp’s gegenpressing (trying to win the lost ball immediately), from Tuchel’s 3-4-3 formation to De Zerbi’s modern passing game. However, English coaches remained loyal to classic 4-4-2 and long-ball football for a long time. This created the perception that they were tactically behind, and the giant clubs of the Premier League, called the “Big 6” (Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham), did not give British coaches a chance in recent years.
Chelsea has worked with foreign coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino in recent years. After Scottish coach Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United always turned to foreign coaches (Luis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Eric Ten Hag, Ruben Amorim). Liverpool did not choose a English coach after Roy Hodgson. Arsenal haven’t had an English manager since 1996. These teams’ lack of trust in English coaches made it difficult for them to prove themselves at the highest level.
How is Eddie Howe different?
Eddie Howe differs from the classical English coaches when we look at the game systems he introduced to Newcastle United. Howe can choose different systems depending on the opponent’s game system or players. Howe sometimes makes Newcastle United play 3-5-2, sometimes 5-4-1, sometimes 4-3-3. Howe, who has players who successfully apply different systems, stands out as the most successful and brightest English coach at the moment.
Newcastle United and Eddie Howe’s Premier League title in the near future… why not? After seeing the joy after the League Cup, I can’t imagine the level of excitement a Premier League title would create in the city!
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