BRIGHTON: Newcastle United interim manager Graeme Jones believes he’s handing over a healthy football club to prospective new boss Eddie Howe.
Former Bournemouth boss Howe was in the Amex Stadium stands, flanked by United director Amanda Staveley, to watch the Magpies 1-1 draw against Brighton. An announcement on his Newcastle appointment is expected in the coming days.
The south coast draw set an unwanted record for United as they recorded their 11th Premier League game without a win — the worst start to a season in their 129-year history.
And despite that, Jones thinks Howe, when confirmed, will be getting his hands on a positive group of players, despite the Magpies’ early-season struggles.
Jones said: “It’s easy to fracture in situations like this, but we as a group have not allowed it. The boys are together, and whoever comes in will inherit a healthy football club.
“We are all pulling in the same direction. We wanted to win, but you don’t achieve what we’ve achieved on the day without that.
“You don’t achieve the response, and the manner of the response, if you’re not together. That’s so pleasing.”
Jones, who is set to step back into a first-team coach role when Howe is given the reins, said the ex-Bournemouth boss had no input on the side’s setup or preparation at Brighton.
“He didn’t have any input,” Jones said.
“I’ve had no contact with him. Eddie’s a professional man. He will have realized that I was doing the game and I’d planned it, and he left me alone to focus on it.
“It was good to see him at the game, but we’ll have to wait and see what the outcome of that is still. I’ve just got on with things.”
United currently sit 19th in the Premier League table and are the only top-flight team without a win after Norwich City’s victory at Brentford.
Jones continued: “I’m pleased with the reaction. The plan was to win, we wanted to come here and win, but when you have a marginal decision against you, which we had with the VAR, then you feel sorry for yourself.
“I spoke to the boys at half-time and said nobody’s going to help you — there’s only us who can help ourselves. The response in the second half is the most pleasing aspect of today’s performance.”
