Newcastle United made the right choice by appointing Eddie Howe over other ‘blue-chip’ options such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. That’s according to Chronicle Live’s John Gibson who believes Howe outperformed both the Aston Villa and Everton managers last season.
Some elements of the media have hailed Lampard’s achievement of keeping Everton in the Premier League while Gerrard’s debut season in the top flight has also been a success - despite the fact both finished below Newcastle. That in itself wouldn’t seem a blow to their respective finishes but when you remember that when Howe took over Newcastle in November, the club was in serious trouble and without a win.
Everton at that time, under Rafa Benitez, were nine points ahead of Newcastle while Villa were five points clear. The season finished with Newcastle on 49 points - four ahead of Villa and 10 ahead of Everton. Gerrard would be appointed Villa boss on November 11, winning 10 games, while Lampard would take over Everton on January 31, going on to win just eight games.
