NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe has hit out at the “unfair” nature of Premier League football in December amid various COVID-19 cancellations.
The Magpies are one of only a small band of clubs who have been forced to play every game so far in the traditionally hectic period, with postponements due to the spread of the omicron variant wreaking havoc on the fixture calendar.
And while Howe has no issues with his side potentially having to play six games in 22 days — if the Magpies’ next three against Manchester United, Everton and Southampton all get the go ahead — he does think questions must be asked about the fairness of that scenario.
That is especially in focus when others in the Premier League will have played half the amount of games in the same period — and will have enjoyed breaks of up to two weeks between games.
Howe said: “I don’t think there is an ideal situation, but I think it is questionable whether it has been fair for everybody.”
The January transfer window adds a totally different dynamic into the equation, with some clubs potentially not playing December games until after they have had a chance to strengthen in the winter window — which opens on Jan. 1.
United will, of course, not have been handed that luxury.
“You have January to think about when teams have a backlog of fixtures that get moved to February and March. They then have the benefit of having those new players for those games, which we won’t,” said Howe. “I think all of these things come into it, but I do understand the difficulty of it because the league needs to be completed.
“We are just following guidelines, not necessarily having too many opinions on what should happen,” he added. “I think that is the way it should be, as we have enough to be getting on with, without getting involved in the political side of things.”
There has been plenty of talk of circuit-breaker stoppages, halting Premier League football until cases within top flight club bubbles can be brought under control. However, at this stage, the league looks set to soldier on in an attempt to fulfill the festive fixture calendar as much as the pandemic allows.
While Howe is unhappy about the unfairness of things this month on that front, he does not want to see games stopped.
“It would be the least preferential route for us, because we know how important the supporters are for us,” he said.
“Since I have come in, they have been absolutely magnificent in every game. I can’t speak highly enough of their support in good and bad moments.
“We would hate to play in front of an empty stadium, but I am obviously aware that the health and safety of everyone connected to football has to come first.
“I have always said I want to play — that’s what we are here to do.
“We are in a desperate fight for points and we want to collate them as quickly as possible.”
