FAMILY LIFE HELPS ME KEEP A LEVEL EDD

Howe says wife and kids give him 'perspective' after dark times when Toon were booed off

- BY LEE RYDER

NEWCASTLE boss Eddie Howe admitted he suffered “really dark moments" after being booed off against Brentford 11 days ago.

Howe has come under fire from some sections of the Newcastle fanbase and cut an emotional figure (right) after the 3-2 defeat and sounded choked.

But he has since bounced back with stunning victories away to Tottenham and Aston Villa in the FA Cup and could put Newcastle on the brink of the Champions League last 16 with victory over Qarabag in Baku tonight.

Howe said: "Even in the really dark moments I'm quite level with my kids and my wife. I try not to let my feelings dominate them, and in a sense, they pick me up to a degree.

"They give me context, they give me some kind of perspective, which is really important in those difficult moments.

"A lot of thinking, a lot of reflection, as I said I was going to do after that game. But it never stops. The reflection's always there, whether you're winning or losing it doesn't go too far away."

After that loss to the Bees, players held a crisis meeting at St James' Park without the manager present.