Punters flock to back Newcastle for tough season after Howe exit

Punters have wasted little time in backing Newcastle for a season of struggle after the Tyneside giants announced the sudden departure of their long-serving boss Eddie Howe on Thursday morning.

With Al-Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle widely expected to be announced as his left-field replacement, pessimism around the Tynesiders’ prospects in the new season is now rife.

As of Thursday morning, the Magpies had been backed into a best-priced 14/1 for a disastrous relegation with Ladbrokes and Coral, having been as big as 40/1 at the start of summer.

And the Toon Army are now no bigger than EVS (from 5/4) for a bottom-half finish with Betfred and Bet365 – prospects that are far removed from the epic Champions League nights St James’ Park was hosting only a few months ago.

READ MORE: Super Sussex Stakes has brought out racing’s F-word

Howe did it come to this?

Howe took over from Steve Bruce as Magpies boss back in November 2021 – a tenure which had seen him become the sixth-longest serving manager across England’s top four divisions.

However, rising tensions over transfer policy coupled with an underwhelming 2025-26 campaign had prompted speculation about the 48-year-old boss’ future. That has now come to a head in what reports are suggesting is a mutual termination that was requested by Howe and reluctantly agreed to by the club.

Though recent times have been challenging, Howe will largely be fondly remembered for his work in the North East.

As well as navigating the club through the early stages of its new Saudi-based ownership, he twice returned Newcastle to the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03 and, most importantly, helped the club end their 70-year wait for a major trophy when lifting the Carabao Cup in 2025.

While some fans felt his tenure going stale in the last 12 months, Howe retained the backing of many supporters who felt he was hamstrung by the club’s transfer business, which has been restricted by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability guidelines.

A constant need to sell key players has made it difficult for the club to keep progressing, with Elliot Anderson departing for Nottingham Forest two years ago, Alexander Isak forcing through a transfer to Liverpool last year and now, this summer, both Gordon and Tonali exiting to Barcelona and Tottenham respectively.

Skipper Bruno Guimaraes has also reportedly asked to leave the club amid interest from last season’s Premier League champions Arsenal and that situation remains fluid, meaning things could yet go from bad to worse for the Magpies.

It is a situation that has clearly frustrated both Howe and the club’s ambitious owners, and while the ex-Bournemouth boss has managed to temper his feelings for the past few years, it appears he no longer feels he can take the club forward in its current guise.

Analysis: Toon Army in for long season but can avoid drop

Odds Now’s football tipster Matt Hill understands why punters are keen to chance Newcastle in the Premier League relegation betting market but believes they will have enough to beat the drop, even if a long season may lie ahead.

“It’s easy to see why so many are rushing to take prices on Newcastle for the drop. All the ingredients are there – key players sold, manager departing, a disillusioned fanbase. But it also should be recognised that getting relegated in this era of the Premier League is actually quite tough for established clubs.

“Granted, West Ham managed it last year but Tottenham, who were in an absolutely sorry state for the large bulk of the campaign, still had enough to limp over the line thanks to three teams being even worse.

“Across the last three seasons, teams that have come up from the Championship have filled seven of the nine relegation spots. While Sunderland and Leeds managed to buck this trend last term, recent history suggests we can expect at least two of the newly-promoted clubs to go straight back down due to sheer size of the quality gap.

“It’s also important to remember that to go down, you probably have to get things badly wrong twice. First, starting the season poorly, then, making the wrong change of manager/ failing to recruit well in January.

“This is where West Ham fell down, with Nuno Espirito Santo unable to arrest the poor start made by Graham Potter, while January saw them arguably get weaker with the sale of Lucas Paqueta and failure of £47million of new arrivals to fire.

“So, even if Jaissle proves to be a flop on Tyneside, you’d feel the club has the pulling power and financial muscle to make a positive mid-season change. And of course, there is the chance the new boss will outperform expectations.

“Therefore, 12/1 about relegation still feels about right to me. But I certainly wouldn’t put people off including a bottom-half finish in their ante post accumulators at anything around even money.”

PricedUp.bet have fantastic football boosts on offer every single day! New customers who register via THIS LINK can receive £20 in free bets.

18+. New customers only. Opt in required. Minimum bet of £40 on any selections. Min odds of evens (2.00). Pre-game only. Free bet awarded upon settlement. Free bet split into 4 x £5. Free bet on accumulators only. Free bet expiry 24 hours. Other free bet terms apply. Maximum pay-outs apply. GamCare.org.uk | UK only. Full T&Cs apply. #ad