Managers say a lot of things in press conferences that they probably wish they had not. Most of the time, nobody remembers. Occasionally, the man in the other dugout writes it down, saves it and reads it out to his players an hour before kick-off.
That is exactly what Eddie Howe did to Erik ten Hag in April 2023. With Howe now being strongly linked with the Manchester United job, the footage of that team talk is doing the rounds again, and I think it is one of the best windows we have ever had into how he works with a group of players.
The Comments That Started It
The game was Newcastle against Manchester United at St James’ Park, in the thick of the race for the top four. The two sides had already met twice that season. They drew 0-0 at Old Trafford, and United beat Newcastle 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in February.
Before the return league game, Ten Hag spoke about what made Newcastle difficult to face. He said they had the lowest ball-in-play time in the league, that they were good at slowing games down, and that they were an annoying team to play against. He added that United would also be dependent on the referee.
It was a fairly pointed thing to say about an opponent days before a big game. Howe clearly thought so too.
The Team Talk
The footage comes from Amazon’s documentary We Are Newcastle United, which followed the club through that 2022/23 season. In it, Howe explains his approach to team talks before we see him deliver this one.
He says he has no formula. It is emotion and gut instinct. Then he says something I found really interesting. He believes anger can be a positive emotion.
In the dressing room, he tells his players he is about to do something he would rarely do. He reads out Ten Hag’s comments, one line at a time, including the bit about Newcastle being annoying to play against and the reference to the referee.
Then he asks the players why he is telling them this. His answer is that if United want a quick game, Newcastle should give them one. He tells them to blow United away with their running, to be intense in every action and to make it a quick game.
Watch here:
The Result
Newcastle won 2-0. Joe Willock headed in during the second half after Allan Saint-Maximin had nodded Bruno Guimaraes’ lofted ball back across goal, and Callum Wilson added a second late on.
It could have been more. David de Gea made a double save to deny Alexander Isak and Willock early in the game, and Newcastle hit the woodwork twice. United rarely got going.
The irony is hard to miss. Ten Hag had complained that Newcastle slowed games down. Newcastle went out and played at a pace United could not live with. Howe also made his feelings clear afterwards, describing the time-wasting claims as nonsense.
Why It Worked
I think the clever part of this team talk is how simple it is. Howe did not invent anything or exaggerate what had been said. He just read out the words and let the players feel the insult themselves.
There is a reason he says he would rarely do it. If a manager uses an opponent’s comments every week, it becomes a gimmick, and players stop listening. Saved for the right moment, against the right opponent, it lands with real force.
He also turned the criticism into a clear instruction. Ten Hag said they were slow, so the plan was to be fast. Every player walked out knowing exactly what was expected of them. That is the difference between a team talk that sounds good and one that actually changes the way a team plays.
What Howe Built at Newcastle
That win was part of something bigger. Newcastle finished in the top four that season and returned to the Champions League for the first time in two decades. It was a huge achievement for a club that had been battling relegation when Howe arrived in November 2021.
He went on to give the club its first major domestic trophy in 70 years, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in March 2025. For a fan base that had waited that long, it was a moment that will never be forgotten.
He left Newcastle this summer to take a break from management, and he has been out of the game since.
The Manchester United Link
Which brings us back to now. Michael Carrick is under huge pressure at United after a 4-1 defeat at Como in the Champions League and a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth on Sunday. Reports say the club’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, sees Howe as his top target, and Sky Sports has reported that Howe would be interested in talking to United.
I can see why the clip is resurfacing. United’s biggest problem over the last few years has often looked like a lack of intensity and a lack of fight. A manager who can send a team out to blow an opponent away with their running is exactly what many of their supporters feel they need.
There is also a nice twist to it. The man United may now turn to is the man who once used a United manager’s words to beat them.
The Other Side of It
I do want to add a note of caution. A great team talk is not a strategy. Howe’s Newcastle won that day because of the work done on the training ground over many months, not just because of what was said in the dressing room.
As a Palace fan, I have heard plenty of managers give rousing speeches that made no difference at all. What makes Howe stand out is that the words and the work match. He did not just tell his players to be intense. He had already built a team capable of it.
United would need to give him that same time and backing. Given how quickly they have changed managers in recent years, that is far from guaranteed.
My Verdict
I think this clip shows a manager who understands people. Howe knows when to stay calm, when to use emotion and how to turn an insult into a plan. That is a rare skill, and it is a big part of why he did so well at Newcastle.
Whether it would work at Old Trafford is a different question. The pressure is greater, the squad is more complicated and the patience is much shorter.
The question is whether the Howe who walked into that dressing room in 2023 is the one United would be getting, and whether they would give him the time to prove it.
