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We’re in that weird period between the World Cup and the new season, otherwise known as ‘pre-season’. It is a dark and eerie place.
Football is arriving in dribs and drabs, though. The Scottish Premiership began this weekend, while the top flights in the Netherlands and Portugal kick off next weekend, and before you know it, each of Europe’s top leagues will be under way and life will make sense again. There is also the EFL Cup first round to look forward to next week.
In the meantime, we can anticipate what promises to be another exciting Premier League campaign. There have been plenty of managerial changes over the summer, with the latest involving Newcastle United. In this week’s SVQ, we’ll look at what they’re losing in Eddie Howe, and what they could be gaining in his likely replacement.
On a slightly different note, there was a massive emphasis on corner kicks in the Premier League last season, but will that trend continue in 2026-27? We’ll go over the numbers to see just how stark the uptick in goals from corners was last term.
We also have the return of Missing Players, and an Ask Opta question that has had us reminiscing over some of the best free-kick takers of all time.
Before we begin, though, see if you want to bag a deal below…
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😲 STAT: How Will Newcastle Do Without Howe?
It was rather a shock when the announcement came last week that Eddie Howe was leaving Newcastle United. The timing, less than a month before the start of the new season, was probably the most surprising aspect, but it was nonetheless a moment for Magpies fans to look back gratefully.
Howe won them their first trophy since 1969 when he secured the EFL Cup in 2025, while he also led them to qualification for the UEFA Champions League twice.
The former Bournemouth and Burnley boss was at St. James’ Park for just under five years, and though there were some eyebrows raised when he was the first hire by the new owners in November 2021, he ultimately justified it.
In the Premier League era, only the late, great Kevin Keegan (51.2%) had a better win percentage in the English top flight for Newcastle than Howe (46.9%), and in his time at the club, only Manchester City (399), Arsenal (381), Liverpool (363) and Aston Villa (295) accrued more points than Howe’s men (290).
