Eddie Howe has praised Newcastle United’s club doctor for “acting quickly” and urging him to visit hospital, accepting there may he been a “different outcome” had his pneumonia not been diagnosed early.
The Newcastle head coach returned to work on Wednesday, hing missed three matches after being admitted to hospital on Friday, April 11, and will be back on the touchline for Saturday’s clash with Ipswich Town at St James’ Park.
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Howe revealed he felt “awful” during Newcastle’s 3-0 win at Leicester City on Monday, April 7, and, hing tried to go into work on the Tuesday, he had to return to bed because he was so ill.
Dr Paul Catterson visited Howe’s house and took blood tests, which hinted at the severity of his condition, and it was the club doctor who urged him to go into hospital. When Howe reached the medical facility, he said that he was so weak that he practically “crawled” through the door.
“I felt really bad, but I didn’t know how bad,” Howe said, when asked whether he was frightened after being admitted to hospital. “I’m one of those people, probably like most men, that you sort of go through everything.
“You don’t necessarily then offer yourself to doctors and people because you think, ‘I’ll be OK in a couple of days. I’ll fight through it’. And I’m sort of very much in the mindset that I’ll go through anything until you can’t.
Howe thanked fans for their messages of support (Stu Forster/Getty Images)“So I was very thankful that the doctor here, Paul Catterson, acted quickly, because without that quick intervention then possibly it could he had a different outcome. And then I was treated really well in hospital and thankfully now through the worst of it.”
A visibly emotional Howe looked OK physically as he faced the media on Friday, though he retains a hacking cough and he accepts it will take time for his breathing to return to “100 per cent”, even if mentally he feels refreshed.
Howe described the care he received from the NHS as “first class” and admits that the experience has led him to reassess what is important in life.
“You take your health for granted when you’re feeling good and I’ve had very minimal health issues,” Howe said at his first news conference since the win at Leicester. “When you are suddenly faced with that and you’re not feeling well for a sustained period, it’s difficult to deal with that, especially when you’re in a job that demands you’re there physically and mentally every day.
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”I consider myself really resilient and able to carry on through most things, but I felt like I couldn’t with this and it dents you, you feel like you’re letting people down. You he to take small steps to make yourself better and that’s what I am doing now.
“You see it through different eyes in that moment. The important thing is not to forget how you saw things in that moment, because I think it just brings everything, the basics, back into focus of what life is all about. And I’m in a very privileged position. I’m in a fantastic job that I absolutely love, with people I love working with. And it’s trying to make the most of that time in my life, and that’s what I plan to do.”
While Howe continued working through the early stages of his illness during the build-up to the Leicester game, his condition worsened in the days which followed. At that stage, he suspected he had the flu.
Jason Tindall has overseen Newcastle’s last three matches (Stu Forster/Getty Images)“The Leicester game I took and I felt awful,” Howe said. “I planned to come back into training for preparation for the Man Utd game, I got out of bed, went in the shower, I got into the process to go, and then something told me I couldn’t and I had to go back to bed.”
Once Dr Catterson had received the results from Howe’s blood tests, he encouraged the 47-year-old to go into hospital on the Friday, which came as a relief.
“I was pleased to be told to go to hospital, actually, because subconsciously I probably knew I had to go there even if I hadn’t worked it out for myself that it was a relief to go and get the care I needed at that moment,” Howe said. “It’s strange because going to hospital is not where you want to be, but I had to be there.
“I got a lift there and just walked in normally. I say walked in normally … I probably crawled in. I was delighted to be there because I knew that’s where I needed to be to get better. When the staff greet you and take you, you get a sense of relief. When you get the diagnosis, as frightening as the word ‘pneumonia’ is, it’s good to know what it actually is and how you can treat it.
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“The symptoms were strange because it wasn’t necessarily any massive standout symptoms, I just wanted to sleep and I had a fever and a high temperature, but you thought you’d sleep it off. It was just a feeling of being way off where I’d normally be when I’m fit and healthy. Obviously, it’s affected my chest and my ability to breathe normally, but not to an alarming state.
“I’ve got no idea (what would he happened if I hadn’t gone to hospital), I can’t answer that. But my message there is don’t suffer in silence, seek help wherever you can.“
On the Thursday before Newcastle’s 4-1 win over Manchester United, Howe empowered Jason Tindall, his assistant, to make all footballing decisions, recognising that he simply was in no fit state to contribute.
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“Zero,” Howe said about his involvement for the last three games. “I made a conscious decision that I didn’t he any ability to he any input. I couldn’t contribute. You’re either all in, or all out. I said to Jason right at the start, ‘It’s over to you’. And didn’t he do great, alongside Graeme (Jones), the coaches, etc. I thought they were magnificent.
“I wasn’t able to be there but I was so proud and lifted by the performances. It was a similar experience to the one I had against Brentford (in November 2021, when he was absent with Covid-19), not one particularly I enjoyed, but thank you to everyone for what they did.
“There’s a detachment (during the matches), you’re feeling removed from it because you’re not in it. I was watching and involved for the first two games, but I wasn’t feeling well enough to enjoy the performances. The team put in two massive performances. The staff he been brilliant and now I’m back, hopefully I can add something.
“He (Jason) did absolutely brilliantly and I’m very lucky to he him.”
After returning to the training ground on Wednesday, Howe oversaw the session. Hing assessed his condition overnight, by Thursday morning, he deemed himself well enough to return for the game this weekend.
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“I came back in and normal service resumed, minus running around like an idiot,” Howe said. “I’ve been a lot more reserved physically and I think I’ll be that way for a while.”
Newcastle can move up to third in the Premier League with victory over Ipswich on Saturday.
(Top photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)