It isn’t often you hear Simon Jordan admit he was wrong.
But that is exactly what the outspoken former Crystal Palace owner has done over his previous comments on Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe.
Even though the Magpies started the season in unstoppable form, a mid-campaign blip saw them struggle to convert draws into victories, leaving their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League under threat.
However, returning to winning ways and putting in back-to-back victories against Man United and most recently West Ham, the northeast giants, now sitting third, are well on their way to claiming a vital European spot.
And Jordan, while on TalkSPORT, has admitted he got it all wrong about Howe.
“I think with all due respect to him, I was wrong about his appointment, because he’s gone in there, he’s caught this wave and he’s ridden it,” the pundit said on Thursday afternoon.
“He’s more than ridden it, he’s directed it, and he’s now coming out as a far better manager than I envisaged he was.
“Now, that’s great when you’re in ascendancy, we haven’t yet seen any kinks or bumps in the road.
“But there’s nothing to indicate that we will right now. It’s been a direction of travel that’s been upwards since he’s walked through the door.
“He’s been responsible for that, and the decisions that he’s made, the playing squad that he’s got.
“We’ve all raved about the boy Bruno Guimaraes, but he’s now sort of receding in the background, because the whole team’s so good.
“It isn’t just because of one player, and that is down to coaching.
“That is down to Eddie Howe, that is down to Jason Tindall and their set-up, and what they have achieved at Newcastle is brilliant.”