Read our Privacy noticeEddie Howe admitted he probably would have taken a Champions League play-off place at the start of the campaign after Newcastle narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the last 16. Asked if he would have settled for that in September, head coach Howe said: “I probably would have done. “I don’t think the first one is, personally, I don’t think the one against Lewie should have been given. He said: “Newcastle, you think it’s an easy team to play? Against who we have played, we could have played better, yes, granted.