The moment that defined Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United legacy | OneFootball

Eddie Howe’s legacy at Newcastle United can be summed up by a single moment during his nearly five years in charge of the Magpies.

It could, however, be summarised one of many things. It could be guiding the club to safety despite them having won only one game by mid-January. It could also be securing the services of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon to pull on the famous black and white. It could quite easily be qualifying for the Champions League twice in three seasons, after twenty years away from the competition.

All of those reasons would undoubtedly mark Howe’s legacy at Newcastle as remarkable, especially given what came before him. However, the reality is, that despite all of that good (which should not be overlooked), Eddie Howe’s legacy at Newcastle can be boiled down to the sound of John Brooks’ whistle in the Carabao Cup FInal at Wembley, at about 6:30pm on the 16th of March, 2025.

In the seconds and minutes that preceded it, there was a collective feeling of horrid tension. Most of a Newcastle persuasion were feeling physically sick following VAR determining that Federico Chiesa’s goal for Liverpool in the 94th minute was onside.

With the score at 2-1, prayers were being offered, fingers were crossed to breaking point and heart rates through the roof. This was Newcastle United after all. Nothing has ever been done the easy way.

Through all of those final minutes, Eddie Howe stood in his technical area – the image of calm. Of course, he probably wasn’t calm, but he crucially he appeared that way, and his players took that on board. They ran the clock down superbly, winning cheap corners and throw-ins, heading and kicking away any deliveries that entered their final third, and, in one particular instance, used an American Football-style takedown, as Joelinton hauled Harvey Elliott to the ground.

When Brooks’ whistle sounded, those back on Tyneside were treated to such wonderfully constructed prose from Peter Drury.

“At last,” he exclaimed, “at long, long last, the Geordie nation has its hands on a trophy.”

He continued, “all the lads and lasses there, all with smiling faces,” a particularly brilliant line, given its use of lyrics from the Blaydon Races.

Drury was right. For those in the black and white end of Wembley, the outpouring of emotion was absolutely overwhelming. The smiles were accompanied by so many tears of utter joy and disbelief. Apart from that of those wearing red, there wasn’t a dry eye in north west London.

56 years (and 70 domestically) of pain, anguish, loss and disappointment was crushed up and thrown away by Eddie Howe. From that night in Budapest in ‘69, to the abject performance of ‘74, to Dennis Tueart’s overhead kick in 76’, to the wildness years of the late 70s and 80s. From the brink of the Third Division in ‘92, to “Collymore closing in,” and Kevin Keegan draped on the advertising hoardings in ‘96.

From Overmars and Anelka in ‘98, to Sheringham and Scholes in ‘99, to Rob Lee’s header in 2000 that was ultimately in vain. From the European nights under Robson, to the dark days of Mike Ashley and two relegations in seven years. From the 2021 takeover, to the familiar feeling at Wembley in ‘23. This moment was for all of that, turning Newcastle United from perennial losers into winners.

Eddie Howe had done what those revered, and less revered, before him could not do. He had ended the long wait. The wait that encompassed generations of Newcastle supporters, some of whom, who never got to witness what the roughly 33,000 inside Wembley that day (and the many, many more watching elsewhere) got to see. That is his legacy at Newcastle United.

It would be easy to detail every brilliant moment Newcastle had under Howe. As mentioned earlier, his legacy could quite easily be defined by any of those, but truthfully this moment is the one that matters most.

Newcastle United is not a club that can boast the most trophies, the biggest stadium, or, in the PSR world that we live in, the biggest revenue. What it can boast is “the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city.”

That extract from a Sir Bobby Robson quote has always resonated on Tyneside, such was how well it encapsulated just what it means to be associated with Newcastle United. Prior to Eddie Howe, a lot of what made Newcastle United special had gone missing however.

Not only did Howe bring back the magic, but he saw his Newcastle side over the finishing line. Therefore, his departure leaves a huge hole at the club that it will do very well to replace, even if it was the right time for all parties.

Certainly, the vast majority of Newcastle supporters would have wanted nothing more than to see Howe turn things round after the underachievement of 2025/26. Howe clearly felt that he did not have that in him though, and that is okay. Newcastle United will continue and Eddie Howe will have a well-deserved break from football.

However, for that moment in London, that moment that was preceded by Dan Burn’s header and Alexander Isak’s sweeping finish, Newcastle United will forever be grateful for Eddie Howe.