Newcastle United delivered a performance that Kevin Keegan would be proud of, but Eddie Howe wants his players to be remembered for winning titles.
Kurt Zouma said that West Ham players were “upset” after seeing their 3-1 lead slip away in the final 13 minutes at St James’ Park.
The Europa Conference League winners from last season had their fans on Cloud 9 in Level 7 chanting about winning the competition nearly a year ago. However, at the end, it was Newcastle fans who were celebrating loudly after the final whistle, having secured a much-needed victory to keep their own Euro ambitions alive.
After the game, Zouma stated: “Everyone was upset, especially with how things went from being 3-1 up. We were playing extremely well until we stopped. They placed us under a lot of strain, and we couldn’t handle it, and in the end, they scored the goals that gave them the victory.
“Credit to them. They had nothing to lose and went for it when they were 3-1 down, and I think their substitutes made a difference. When they made it 3-2 we knew it was going to be hard with their fans, but we just didn’t do enough and it’s incredibly frustrating. It was a bad day for us.”
Eddie Howe wants current Newcastle stars to write their own history
Not for the first time, Howe’s team was compared to the legendary Entertainers team of the Kevin Keegan era. And it could be an easy term for analysts to use against the Magpies this weekend.
But when asked about the prospect of emulating Keegan’s team, Howe said: “I always say we’re here to attack and my management philosophy has always been that first – I say first, that’s probably not right, but I’ve always wanted to produce a team that is proactive rather than reactive.
“I want to the type of football that I enjoy watching. With that, you have to accept that you will be maybe more open than a team that sets up a totally different way, that’s a bit more pragmatic, but I believe that’s the best chance for us to have long-term success here.
“I’ve got no problem with entertaining. I’d prefer another word because that’s been done and rightly Kevin’s team was nicknamed The Entertainers. I think we would give them that tag and remember that team fondly. But we want to win games and trophies playing this way. I think we can. Of course, the goals we are conceding are a concern for us.”
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