After recent results (and performances), Eddie’s tactical credentials are coming under more scrutiny than ever. Dai Rees argues that he needs to shed his conservatism and channel his inner Kenny Rogers – a case of knowing when to howe-ld ’em?

***

I am far from a fan of the music of Kenny Rogers, more of a Springsteen man myself, or Oasis in my teenage years, but I feel his song The Gambler holds a few parallels which are not to be ignored at present.

I want to be clear on one thing before I start, I do not think Eddie Howe should be under pressure from NUFC fans or in any danger at all of losing his job. What he is in danger of in my humble opinion, is losing the faith of some fans, because of his recent lack of adaptability.

I’m a huge believer in evolution not revolution in football. Though admittedly Newcastle are likely in the midst of the latter looking at the bigger picture, it doesn’t mean that small steps can be bypassed in the interim. Part of that is knowing when some things need evolution as circumstances dictate.

At present Newcastle are conceding a worrying amount of goals (to lower league opposition in many cases) with a threadbare squad. We have conceded 24 goals in our last 9 Premier League games. Yes, we have just been humbled by Arsenal and played Liverpool and Man City in that time. We have also conceded 5 against Luton and 5 against Nottingham Forest in that run and 12 goals in our last 4 games.

We look alarmingly vulnerable on the break (and on turnover of possession in general) whilst having lost some of the intensity of our high press. I wonder if it may be time to evolve and twist with the hand we have, rather than stick with the cards we’ve been dealt and hope we win some footballing blackjack.

Looking at our squad in a pragmatic way, Newcastle currently have youngsters and defenders on the bench, albeit the return of Willock on Saturday was a blessed relief. The only way I can feasibly see us having the opportunity to rotate in other areas where we need it is by moving (in the short term) to five at the back.

This achieves a few things in my eyes. We can rest one of the three (four when Willock is fully fit) starting midfielders we have, move Dan Burn away from the firing line at left back, and bring some much needed solidity to a team that is conceding just over 2.6 goals per game at present.

Firstly, let’s look at the midfield. We cannot continue the way we are. It is inevitable that one of Miley, Longstaff, or Bruno will get a knock soon or a suspension. Yes, Willock returning is a boost, but he will take to return to full fitness.

Why wait for a potential problem to happen and then react to it? Let’s evolve the side a little bit in advance. Let Bruno and one other play as a holding two, and in turn utilise the high pressing skills of Tino and Tripper as wing backs to make a 4 in midfield when we have the ball, supporting an attacking trio.

This crucially allows one of that midfield three to have a break from time to time and allows Tino some game time, giving us some much needed energy on the left hand side. We also have some depth in these areas (relatively speaking) if we need it through Lascelles, Hall, and Krafth.

Moving on to Dan Burn, I don’t want to make him the scapegoat as the loss to Arsenal happened largely without him, but I do also wonder if a slight change of footballing scenery might suit him. If we move to a central three, he can play on the left side of it and rely on the pace of Tino to get him out of some tricky spots, whilst knowing he’s got others in Schar and Batman to protect him centrally if needed. We also retain Burn’s ariel presence in set pieces at both ends of the pitch, which is a positive. Especially looking at the two sloppy set piece goals we conceded in north London.

I believe that this brings some solidity in a system Howe must have had some time on the training pitch using, looking at the Villa away game as the example. I think this can allow our attacking trio to press high up the pitch knowing they have a solid base behind them to rely on, whilst also limiting space opposition teams can move into on the break or turnover. Opposition teams seem to have worked us out a little at the moment and I think, until we get some more players back on the pitch, this change to five at the back (after Tuesday perhaps) provides a nice conundrum for others to solve in the meantime.

Finally, I wonder if it may be time for Eddie to be The Gambler in another respect. Joe White came on the pitch last week – 21 years old. Miley has done well for us this season. Ben Parkinson has been on the bench recently and we’ve signed young prospect Alfie Harrison from Man City. Give them chances, just in short bursts here and there.

Maybe give some of these lads a chance in a season where the stakes are not too high (I say this as we aren’t making top four and any kind of European adventure is looking off the cards) and see what they can do. Klopp (and I’m loathe to compliment him) is very good at this and it must generate great belief in the youth system that you will get a chance in the first team if you are needed. Another example of how in my eyes the club can continue to evolve.

I wonder if some level of evolution may be a skill Howe needs to add to his arsenal and in turn demonstrate to some fans who may be wavering on his tactical skills, that he is capable of developing. It doesn’t have to be forever and we can still play front foot football, all the while showing the solidity which may yet keep us in the race for some kind of continental adventures next season.

Dai Rees @colemans_dream