Eddie Howe opens up to Gary Neville – Newcastle United and England | OneFootball

Gary Neville has been one of the big surprises.

One of the many annoying Manchester United players…

Gary Neville has very surprisingly turned out to be arguably the best media commentator and pundit of all. Though as you might say, possibly not a lot of contenders for that title!

As well as his usual Sky Sports duties, the former Man U and England player has also been doing some excellent one on one ‘Overlap’ interviews.

Recently, Gary Neville did an excellent interview with Anthony Gordon, a must watch (Read and see HERE).

Now it is Eddie Howe getting the Gary Neville treatment in this latest excellent one on one.

Eddie Howe on managing Newcastle United and his intense approach:

“I take it very seriously.

“You have to train well and get onboard, or you are not really going to exist under me.

“I get in [at home] and sit on the sofa, the Champions League is on [the TV], I say to my eldest son, get me pen and paper, I have got an idea! I have been through the door five minutes.”

Gary Neville:

“You have got 15 tactics boards.

“I know a manager has to have a tactics board in his office but fifteen?!!!

“My first question was going to be something else but I am going to have to ask you about tactics boards. I have never seen so many tactics boards in my life.

“What are the differences between all of them?”

Eddie Howe:

“It’s weird because I don’t actually use tactics boards much, on sort of game day.

“So I’m not obsessed with tactics boards, I want you to know that!

“But for planning purposes, for training, like with how we train, I feel like we need to know everything that is going on.

“So I just try and break it up and we have a tactics board for pretty much everything here!”

Gary Neville:

“You have got all these tactics boards, is that because you design absolutely every single individual practice, on every single board? Do you take all the training sessions… how does your coaching day go?”

Eddie Howe:

“Yes… definitely on the planning phase, I’m all the way through it.

“I wouldn’t necessarily take every drill, I’m not necessarily saying I have to have my fingerprints all over it, BUT I will be there and I will be reactive with it, even if I’m not taking it.

“Because I want the responsibility on matchday, knowing that it is my work that is impacting the game.”

I love hearing all of this, Eddie Howe’s sheer hard work and his dedication to the Newcastle United job, the endless hours he spends trying to ensure everything is perfect in preparation ahead of matches.

I would have been interested to compare and contrast if Gary Neville had done a similar interview with his big mate Brucey a few years ago…

(Absolutely well worth watching this whole Eddie Howe interview below with Gary Neville, an excellent incite into the Newcastle United boss)

Eddie Howe asked by Gary Neville about England:

“The national team, big memories watching you (Gary Neville) play for England,.

“That era was very much me in my early years forming a love with England and wanting them to do well.

“Having that feeling of devastation when we didn’t quite make it over the line.

“I loved that feeling of watching the national team.

“I was submersed in it.

“I love England and I hope they go on to win the Euros this summer… I think they can.

“I love Gareth [Southgate] and I have got a real determination for England to win.

“There are some good English and British coaches, not just the Premier League, but in the Championship and lower leagues.

“I am a firm believer in that process that if you can’t start with a high profile job in the Premier League, then I think you must earn it.

“I didn’t really set up with that aim.

“It was just a case of trying to survive, be as successful as I could be, then ultimately I ended up having success.

“There are some good coaches and I think we have the best pyramid system for developing players and managers.

“The younger guys coming through have just got to keep being successful.

“Sometimes you are fighting against the grain [in club football] because you are fighting against possibly bigger clubs and bigger budgets, but somehow, you have got to find a way.”

Born in 1977, Eddie Howe was only 12 when England came so close in Italia ’90, then he would have been 18 when a similar story with Euro ’96. For me, easily England’s best two teams in my lifetime.

Gary Neville asks Eddie Howe whether he would consider taking the England job one day?

“I have never really thought about international football, for me personally.

“Who knows that will happen in the future.”

As Newcastle United fans, we are so lucky to have Eddie Howe.

Maybe he will go on to manage England, they would be VERY lucky to have him.

However, he has years and years of unfinished business at Newcastle United before he ever considers anything else, I can’t wait to see what happens at St James’ Park under his leadership.