Eddie Howe urged to resign after Newcastle’s 7-2 Barcelona humiliation before Sunderland derby | OneFootball

Eddie Howe has been urged to consider resigning after Newcastle United’s 7-2 defeat at Barcelona sealed an 8-3 aggregate exit, with the Tyne-Wear derby days away.

They were competitive before the break but collapsed after half-time as defensive errors mounted, culminating in their heaviest European knockout defeat. "Really strange to try and sum that up because first half, I thought we were excellent. Quite a lot of individual errors that have ultimately cost us. In the second half, we were nowhere near as good as the first. They deserved to go through." Howe told TNT Sports.

Presenter Adrian Durham called on Howe to offer his resignation in the aftermath, describing Newcastle’s second-half display as a capitulation. Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton argued the timing would be questionable and suggested one result could change the mood.

"Now it's all about Sunderland. It's not about what's happened today. But it's about the next game and making sure we're mentally ready, physically ready for what's going to be a huge game for us and for the whole city."

Newcastle will seek a response after December’s 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture. "Yeah, it's huge. We've got to play like our lives depend on it."

Source: Sunderland Echo