Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has insisted he is the right person to lead the club despite growing pressure, ahead of their Premier League trip to Tottenham this week.

A 3-2 home defeat to Brentford has left Newcastle in 12th place, sparking speculation over Howe’s position. But the manager remains confident in his ability to steer the team through a difficult period.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m the right man, and that’s why I’m sitting here,” Howe said. “If there was, I wouldn’t be, because the club is the most important thing. I’d never put myself before the club. As long as I feel that in my heart and spirit, my desire and motivation are as high as ever. I’ll fight every day to my maximum for the club. If I didn’t believe I was the right person to take the team forward and give the players what they need, I would step aside and let someone else do it.”

Howe believes his leadership can pull the team out of its slump: “Everyone is looking for you to set the tone. People want to follow—that’s human nature. If you have strength in these moments as a leader, you can drag everybody with you. That’s why it’s important to stand up, show your character, and demonstrate how much it means to you. That’s what me and the staff will continue to do.”

Newcastle must tighten up defensively

Looking ahead to the trip to Tottenham, Howe acknowledged the team needs to improve defensively and stop conceding avoidable goals.

“We have to defend better. In our recent run of games, we haven’t defended well enough,” he said. “We need solutions to our defensive vulnerabilities, and we haven’t been clinical enough at the other end. I don’t think performances have been particularly bad—statistically we’ve been strong—but the results haven’t matched.”

Howe’s toughest period

Howe admitted that this current spell represents the toughest period of his tenure at Newcastle.

“It’s always difficult when the team isn’t playing as well as it should. That’s tough for me as I take responsibility. The emotions of a defeat linger until you focus on the next match, and that’s very much where I’m at,” he explained.

When asked if this is the hardest time in his Newcastle career, Howe replied: “Yes, I think so. Any time you’re not getting the results you want, it’s challenging. It’s been a difficult run and will continue to be difficult, but that’s where we need to show strength of character, resolve, and resilience. Unity is crucial—without it, you lose everything. At the moment, we still have that. Our supporters, even on Saturday, were incredible, and that’s never taken for granted.”