Howe talks about joining Newcastle

Following the doubts about

owners and the human rights record of Saudi Arabia, the club’s head coach insists that his decision for joining Newcastle was a football decision, and he only thinks about football and that he has nothing to do with the criticism that the owners have been facing.

"Naturally, this is a football decision,"

Howe said at his official unveiling.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be the manager of Newcastle.

"My focus is football. Running the team, managing the players. That's all I'm going to talk about and that's all I'm going to think about.

"Everything just felt right. The pull of the club is huge, the size of the club, the history of the club. Obviously the new, ambitious plans, the new owners, knowing some of the players, the squad.

"I just thought it was a perfect fit for me. Yes, I've had lots of other options, but I wanted to take my time and really be utilizing my time away from the game. I feel refreshed, energized and ready to start work."

Newcastle sits in 19th place in the Premier League without any victories in the league after 11 games, and they stand five points away from the safe zone, but

Howe

is optimistic about the situation, saying that he is impressed by the club’s vision for the future.

"[The owners and I have] had some really good conversations,"

Howe continued

.

"I've been very, very impressed by their vision of the club but, to be honest, I haven't delved into that too much because it's all about the short term.

"Obviously the position of the team, we need to try and address that very quickly, move up the league and the aim is to stay in the league, to avoid relegation.

"That's what I'll be working towards and that's really my main focus at the moment, everything else can wait for another day."

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