EDDIE HOWE believes the death of his mother in 2012 when Burnley manager has given him the skills to deal with any personal problems Newcastle’s players have.
The Clarets visit St James’ Park on Saturday with Toon, seven points off safety, desperate for their first win of the season.
Howe lasted 19 months at Turf Moor in the Championship before moving back to Bournemouth in October 2012.
His mother passed away following a short illness seven months earlier, and the Magpies boss has opened up about how it was impossible to grieve because of the demands of management.
He said: “I think I’ve got a real human side of me that understands when players have a problem, an issue, or whatever it may be in their personal lives.
“For me, it was a really sudden thing that happened with my mum, who was the closest person to me in my life at the time.
“I didn’t have any time to grieve. You’re straight back to work as a manager, you’re managing from seven in the morning until seven at night, but you’ve got all these emotions running through you.
“I felt really far away from my family, who were all in and around the Bournemouth areas.
“I found I was very detached. I was not grieving. I was not dealing with it.”
Howe spent 15 months out of the game after leaving Bournemouth following relegation in 2020, declining job offers – including Celtic – and only appearing on television sparingly.
He added: “I needed to give myself a bit of a break.
“I just wanted a break from people talking about me.
“When I did come back, I wanted people to think, ‘where’s he been?’ rather than ‘he’s been in my face too much’.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
