Almost three months on from his departure, Eddie Howe remains a divisive figure among Newcastle United fans – but the conversation has moved on amid the struggles of his successor, Matthias Jaissle. 

This is not another question of whether Newcastle were right to move on from Howe, it’s about how the club reacted to his departure and whether Jaissle was the right appointment.

Strong debate over Jaissle’s ability to manage Newcastle

It was put to our subscribers on TalkingPoints that the fact that sections of the support have even mentioned the idea that Howe should have been kept on or that he should return shows just how split some of the fan base is on Jaissle.

Now, Howe is arguably the greatest manager in Newcastle United history, but his five-year tenure was not without criticism. Anyone who watched the team last season would have seen that things had gone stale, and the fact that so many big-name players left in the following months is hardly a coincidence. 

No one needs to go over old ground. Jaissle was quickly installed as Howe’s successor in early August and while there have been some promising results, the German is under pressure following heavy defeats to Leeds and Coventry.

Some of those who have watched Newcastle this season have told TalkingPoints that Jaissle was given a difficult job to do, largely because the squad is not as good as it was following so many big-name departures.

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markmarston

Yeah Howe’s a great manager, think it’s natural his time will always be compared to the present. Even in a poor year last season, they still finished within 4 points of Europe. Fans will have to give Jaisle time and unfortunately consider safety as success

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“Are people forgetting how stale things got under Howe?,” read another response.

“Things had run its course under Howe. This is very revisionist. Jaissle deserves time,” claimed another subscriber.

“Everyone will say its still early days but have they actually watched Newcastle?” was another reply “They are abject and players don’t appear to know their roles. It’s a mess and while I don’t get the calls for Howe, I don’t think we’d be playing this badly with him. Not much better mind, but nowhere near this bad.”

It is hard to disagree with that. Newcastle have sold most of their best players over the past 12 months and have replaced them with younger talents, which does need to be taken into account. There was a fair amount of support for the former Ah Ahli manager, with some subscribers telling Geordie Boot Boys that the 38-year-old deserved more time to implement his ideas.

Yet, that does not mean Jaissle is exempt from criticism. The second half of Newcastle’s win over Hull saw them lose control and while they edged out a 2-1 win at St James’ Park, that theme continued in the games against Leeds and Coventry. 

Indeed, there are some who believe that it is already clear that Jaissle’s game plan simply will not work. A quick-fire judgement perhaps, but a definite one no less.

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jonathan.gorrie

They won’t sack him of course but it really is bad right now in terms of performances. I can’t see any reason as to why anyone at the club thinks what he’s trying to do will actually work

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Newcastle United’s decline under Jaissle

None of this is to say things were rosy under Howe. Clearly, they weren’t. Still, the difference in some of the defensive metrics, even though Newcastle were dreadful defensively in the 2025/26 season too, are stark.

While the drop in quality of the playing squad does need to be taken into account, Newcastle have faced on average, via FBREF, 5.29 shots on target per game this season. During the 2025/26 campaign – the second-worst defensive season of Howe’s tenure in terms of statistics and the worst on the eye test no doubt – they faced an average of 4.39. 

The team are too open. Torn apart by Leeds and Coventry, only poor finishing denied Aston Villa or Hull more goals than the one they stuck past goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek. While Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-0 in August, Spurs arguably should have scored more, highlighted by the fact their xG (expected goals) for the game stood at 1.04 to Newcastle’s 0.75.

The case for backing Jaissle

These are early days, of course, and the fact that the squad was gutted of its standout players must always be mentioned. The club simply are not operating on the same level as they previously were following Newcastle’s notable shift in transfer policy.

It is possible for fans to be alarmed with what they’ve seen from his insistence on a 4-2-3-1 formation – a system this squad was almost never told to play under Howe – and still believe that the German should be given time to stamp his authority on the team.

The statistics, however, do not make for pleasant reading right now.