Eddie Howe 'can't disagree' that Newcastle stars are playing for their futures ahead of Blackburn FA Cup tie

Eddie Howe has conceded that his Newcastle side are playing for their futures as they prepare to face Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup.

The Premier League side travel to Ewood Park on Tuesday night in a competition that offers them their last chance of glory with just a few months of the season remaining.

Newcastle, having sparkled last season to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, were eliminated at the group stage of Europe's elite competition, finishing bottom of their group to also miss out on a spot in the UEFA Europa League knockouts.

Their league campaign had already suffered from an extensive injury list over recent months, and on Saturday they lost 4-1 at Arsenal with Howe suggesting that individual mistakes had cost his side.

“Regardless of how you set up tactically it’s about individuals doing their jobs and making sure they don’t make individual errors,” he said. “But we’ve been guilty of that a lot in the last few weeks.

“We need to do better in lots of areas. We just did not perform at Arsenal. There are no excuses for that and we have to take full responsibility.”

Howe, when asked if some of his senior players were playing for their futures at St James’ Park, admitted: “I can’t disagree with that sentiment. Every aspect of our game was off at Arsenal.”

He added: “We don’t want to be easy to play against and I take responsibility for that.

“We have to find solutions to still be effective defensively and, at the moment, the balance between attack and defence isn’t right. Our game management hasn’t been as good as last season. It’s something we need to look at.”

Despite the club's struggles of late, Howe still cut a confident figure about how the campaign can end.

“This can still be a special season for us,” he said. “Nothing is decided yet.”

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