Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says that the club opted against appealing Nick Pope's red card against Liverpool as they didn't want to waste any time during the build-up to the Carabao Cup final this weekend.
Pope's dismissal rules him out of the final showpiece in the capital against Manchester United with Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie set to battle for the gloves. For the first time, speaking at the club's media day, Howe has reflected on the loss of Pope.
Howe said: "No, we didn’t appeal. As much as I felt sorry for Nick, and felt that the red card was really harsh for what he did, abiding by the rules, we didn’t think it worth appealing."
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The Newcastle head coach indicated that it must be business as normal for the two keepers he has available. He said: "Very normal, really. They’re two goalkeepers who have been part of our goalkeeping unit all year.
"They train every day with the two coaches. They’ve been excellent. Their attitude to everything they’ve done has been very good.
"I know the focus from the media will be all on them expecting some big reaction, but it’s just (been) to work. To work as normal and get them ready for the game."
When asked if the lack of game time for both Karius, who hasn't played since 2021, and Gillespie, who hasn't featured since 2020, was a concern, Howe said: "No, not so much as it would be with an outfield player. "Obviously, an outfield player, you’d have severe doubts about their physical performance.
"Are they able to last the game? With a goalkeeper, the skills are totally different. They have had games. They’ve had a lot of training games.
"They’re involved in everything. What they need to do, they’ve got it there. They just haven’t had that crowd in front of them when they do it. "That’s the only difference.
"I understand it’s probably preferable if they had, but they haven’t. Loris, for example, has got incredible experiences. I’ve no doubts he can handle the occasion."
Both Martin Dubravka (cup tied) and Karl Darlow (on loan at Hull) can't be used as options this weekend.
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