Next 3 matches could determine Newcastle鈥檚 Premier League fate: Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe salutes the fans after Newcastle United were beaten 5-1 by Tottenham Hotspur. (Getty Images)
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  • After 4 away games, Magpies return to St. James鈥� Park for 3 consecutive matches against Wolves, Leicester, Crystal Palace

LONDON: Eddie Howe believes Newcastle United鈥檚 Premier League fate will be decided by results in their next three matches.

The Magpies take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City, and Crystal Palace in succession at St. James鈥� Park, straight off the back of four away games on the bounce.

And while Newcastle have eight games left and are nine points clear of the bottom three, Howe thinks the next three fixtures will go a long way to deciding whether they stay a top-flight side or drop to the Championship.

The head coach said: 鈥淭his is a massive period coming up for us. We were very aware that this period we are coming out of was very difficult. So many games away from home, coming to places like Tottenham Hotspur, are very difficult matches.

鈥淲e are pleased to return home, where our form has been very good. But we know we have a massive spell. Games we need to maximize, we need the crowd united, we need to make the atmosphere as intense as we can for our opponents.

鈥淭his is going to be a massive spell, which will go a long way to deciding our fate,鈥� he added.

Newcastle鈥檚 5-1 loss at Spurs ended an unlikely sequence of long-distance, consecutive away days, with 1-0 defeats to both Everton and Chelsea following a 2-1 victory at Southampton.

In that time, the gap to the bottom three has only been closed by one point, from 10 to nine.

While Howe remains clear in his assessment that Newcastle remain deep in a battle to remain in the division, he has also urged fans, players, and everyone connected with the club to remain calm.

He said: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for me, the team, and everyone connected with the club, because these results can happen against the quality of opposition we have today.

鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean my expectations for this team are not high 鈥� and I made that clear to the team. I don鈥檛 think there is any point going hard, or very negative, we have to be positive.

鈥淲e have to focus on what鈥檚 to come 鈥� and what鈥檚 to come is a key week for us. We鈥檙e in a position that we maybe didn鈥檛 expect to be in, but if there is a positive to come from this, it鈥檚 just a little jolt and reminder that we can鈥檛 get ahead of ourselves.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 think we鈥檙e better than we are, in this current moment we have to battle for every point, it won鈥檛 be given for us,鈥� Howe added.

With safety within touching distance 鈥� a points tally of 35 points has kept every team in the division in all but one of the last 10 years 鈥� has a touch of complacency crept in?

Howe said: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know what the players are feeling, you can鈥檛 control how they think. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We need to be very calm but use the pain of this in our next games ahead.

鈥淲e need to deliver the performances that have made the difference for us, the solid, aggressive running that we鈥檝e become accustomed to.鈥�