Eddie Howe does not care if Newcastle are popular Newcastle boss Eddie Howe does not care what people outside of the city think of his team as he plots another assault on Carabao Cup glory.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and then Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp were angered by Newcastle’s approach during that campaign, prompting Howe to say: “We are not here to be popular and to get other teams to like us.
The Magpies have climbed to fifth in the Premier League after a run of five successive victories, two of them at Manchester United and Tottenham, to rekindle memories of their surge into the Champions League places two seasons ago.
Asked in the wake of furious post-match reactions from Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery and Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou following recent defeats if his side were “ruffling feathers” once again, the 47-year-old said: “We are here to try to win and ultimately that’s all we are driven for.
Newcastle’s recent resurgence has seen them close to within five points of second-placed Arsenal, who now stand between them and a second trip to Wembley in three seasons.
