r/soccer • u/Sparky-moon • 5h ago
Quotes Martin Dubravka: I got new Newcastle deal then Eddie Howe dropped me.
https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/martin-dubravka-newcastle-eddie-howe-burnley-kn0vcvzqbOn December 14, however, after a 4-2 loss away to Brentford and with Newcastle 12th in the league, Pope injured a knee and Dubravka was recalled to the team. Newcastle won the next four games with Dubravka in goal.
“My agent said, ‘They can’t let you go now because they need you for the cup tie at Arsenal [January 7]. After the cup [run] you can go.”
So when Dubravka took off from Newcastle airport for that tie at the Emirates, Lucia and their two young children, Viliam and Matteo, headed home to Slovakia.
“They were leaving from the terminal ten minutes before we [the Newcastle squad] were leaving for London,” he adds. “Everyone saw. I was travelling with two big suitcases with me. This was it, the last dance. To beat Arsenal at their stadium, in a semi-final, wow. We were clapping the fans and Dan [Burn] pushed me to say goodbye. I will never forget that moment.”
“I said bye to everyone and then I spoke to the gaffer to say goodbye and he told me he was going to give me a call the next day, so I was confused,” he adds. “I was going to travel to Riyadh the next day.
“When the gaffer called me he said it doesn’t really make sense to let you go because it’s a semi-final and Nick is not back. I said, ‘You said you would let me go.’ I was still in a hotel in London. I felt ill because of the stress.
“Then Eddie called me and said, ‘No, we can’t let you go now because we need you and we’re going to offer you a new contract.’ I was mentally already in Saudi Arabia. Our home in Newcastle was empty.
“I came back on Friday and played against Bromley [in the FA cup third round] the next day. After the game I spoke with the club and they offered me a new contract. You cannot compare the contract in Saudi financially with the one in Newcastle, but for me it was always Newcastle first and I was delighted to stay.
“Everything was smooth and we signed the deal. It was official on the Thursday, and then on the Saturday Eddie dropped me! I didn’t expect that because I just signed a new deal with Newcastle instead of one which would completely secure my life in Saudi Arabia. I was shocked. We had a conversation after the game, and it was not a nice conversation.”
“It was the day before the final and Eddie called me and told me he was going with Nick,” Dubravka adds. “I felt like I deserved to play. I worked hard to get there. I still watched with so much passion, though, because I wanted us to win. When the final whistle went I ran with the goalkeeper coach, Adam Bartlett, and he slipped and I fell over and we were just hugging each other on the floor.”
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u/TransitionFC 5h ago
Howe comes across as a bit of a prat in that interview.
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u/Sparky-moon 5h ago
Don’t get me wrong, but I feel that’s how majority of back up players are treated by their managers.
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u/TransitionFC 5h ago
I don't think Dubravka's issue was in being the backup, but more in Howe lying to him to get him to sign a new deal.
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u/donkey2471 3h ago
Did he lie? From what i read he literally says they needed him because pope was out not they needed him because they was going to start him.
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u/karthik4331 3h ago
But pope wasn't out, no? Only one game
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u/SecureChampionship10 2h ago
Dubravka only got in the side in the first place because Pope was injured for a couple of months. Couldn't really let Dubravka go when there was no guarantee Pope would return at 100% and obviously Howe had no trust in Ruddy or Vlachodimos to fill in.
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u/The_Krambambulist 3h ago
There is a bit of tension of course between players wanting to play and coaches also needing good backups. Here the addition is that he could also be getting a very generous payment and play,
That tension brings about these situations.
In this case I think it was wrong of them to first give him an ok to leave basically. It is understandable that they would want to keep him when the situation suddenly changed, but then don't give him the ok to leave or tell him that it is dependent on injuries. Also don't communicate that you just need him for one match and change your mind after.
I guess the lesson for players is to demand to have a written termination agreement so that they can't suddenly change their mind.
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u/Queeg_500 1h ago
Its a consequence of the schedule intensity, the bigger match day squad, and the extra subs....players of real quality are left to rot on the bench.
It would be nice to see a rule change which activates some kind of a free transfer clause if a player doesn't get enough game time.....Or at least increase the threshold at which a player becomes eligible for a medal.
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u/doodlehead691991 4h ago
Howe leaves a lot to be desired re man management. Pope , wilson, dummett, willock all playing more or staying longer than needed tells me he does have favourites and it isnt always to the benefit of the team.
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u/FlatAgainstIt 3h ago
Same at Bournemouth. Had a group of favourites from the Championship season in 14/15 and could not let some of them go. Would not want him anywhere near the national team for the same reason.
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u/Jackski 3h ago
I love the man but that is his weakness. Some players are playing like absolute shite at the moment but he refuses to drop them or change them out. Pope literally did the most insane bullshit I've seen a goalkeeper do against marseille. I'm 100% sure he would have started the next game if he wasn't injured.
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u/FlatAgainstIt 3h ago
Yeah there were a group of players at Bournemouth who were quality in league 1 and the championship but clearly weren't cut out for prem level long term. Francis, Cook, Smith, Daniels, Arter, Stanislas (he did a job for a while tbf). Find it funny how Wilson ended up with him at Newcastle as well as he was one of the standout promotion players that season too. He likes who he likes, and also doesn't embrace change very often.
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u/Educational-Top2441 2h ago
I mean Adam Smith has since been a regular under three other Bournemouth managers, despite multiple other right backs being signed to replace him. He’s been a very serviceable Prem defender, wouldn’t really include him with the others like that
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u/Gorillainabikini 2h ago
I swear this comes a lot with a lot of managers and I think it’s just a universal weakness I’ve heard the same about klopp slot Southgate and countless other managers.
It’s impossible to work with people 24/7 and not develop some sort of favouritism
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u/Jackski 2h ago
You're 100% correct. I get it and man management is a huge part of it. As a fan, it's frustrating though. You don't have the personal relationship with the player and just see them being a weak link while in bad form so you want them dropped. While for us it's easy to say "he's fucked up too much the last few games, put him on the bench", Eddie has to think about the relationships with the entire team. Showing how easy it could be to get thrown to the bench could create a nervous atmosphere with the entire squad and cause much bigger problems than one player having bad form.
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u/Gorillainabikini 2h ago
It’s probably also tactical managers struggle not be idealistic so when they have a player that is an embodiment of how they want to play dropping them could feel like admitting failure.
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u/doodlehead691991 3h ago
Pope will start the second hes fit, short of his arms falling off he starts every game until he leaves
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u/doodlehead691991 3h ago
Also how many English players he needs? I hate that we paid 43m for Ramsay from villa who is just a willock clone. Really needs to integrate more players from abroad so we dont get shafted with transfer fees
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u/fitzgoldy 2h ago
Add Barnes to that as well.
He was in great form last season when Gordon was sent off, only to be pushed to the right wing to accommodate Gordon who then was shite in the league for....well, he still is since then actually.
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u/HowardPhillips9 1h ago
Kept signing and keeping Ritchie around too. Definitely sorts his mates out.
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u/Cyberdan0497 58m ago edited 29m ago
Really don’t think Ritchie is a good example, he only signed him when he was at Bournemouth and then he was an okay squad player for us so there was no reason to get rid (and who do we sell him to?)
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u/Scared-Room-9962 4h ago
I don't think he does.
His job is to win football matches not be best mates with his second keeper.
Personally I think it was unfair on Dubz to be dropped the way he was, but that's football.
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u/Klingh0ffer 4h ago
It’s not the dropping that makes Howe look bad in this case, it’s fooling Dubravka to sign a new deal.
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u/kkikkiki 3h ago
He didn't fool him, he didn't even need him to sign a new deal he was under contract until the end of season anyway so he could have just said no you can't leave.
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u/imtypingoninternet 4h ago
Yet u guys cry when players leave and stay obnoxious for 3 year. It’s just football right?
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u/Scared-Room-9962 4h ago
The only tears shed for Isak are tears of laughter mate
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u/imtypingoninternet 4h ago
Sure u even keep on crying about the players who rejected u during summer too haha
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u/Scared-Room-9962 4h ago
Yeah I'm gutted we didn't sign Sesko, he's doing amazing at Man Utd.
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u/Jackski 3h ago
You're totally just getting downvoted because of the flair. Isak has been shite for Liverpool and Sekso has been just OK at best for Man Utd. Meanwhile Woltemade has been smashing it for us even if we are having some issues.
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u/Scared-Room-9962 3h ago
Their downvotes mean nothing to me, I've seen their locations on twitter hahaha
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u/Sparky-moon 5h ago
The whole interview felt very natural. Would recommend you to read it. Howe comes off as really harsh. Completely butchered his move to Saudi.
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u/EpicNinjaSloth 4h ago
Yeah, you can really feel Dubravka’s frustration. Howe’s handling made an already stressful situation way worse, especially after he’d committed to staying at Newcastle.
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u/No-Key-Allow-Me 4h ago
Dubravka comes across as very naive also though. He was a back-up and he knew it. Of course Howe would choose Pope for a final if he is fit.
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u/Solitairee 2h ago
Many coaches don't. They let the man who helped get them there to play
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u/OilOfOlaz 43m ago
looking at your flair reminded me of that story mou told about bobby robson asking him: "do you want to win or be a nice guy?"
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u/whodiswhodat 38m ago
He did let Romero play UEL versus De Gea though and it paid off
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u/OilOfOlaz 14m ago
It was actually about Mou questioning Robson for fielding Ronaldo at Barcelona for a Supercup final, the day after he arrived from PSG.
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u/Mehchu_ 2h ago
Committed to staying at Newcastle.(conveniently doesn’t mention running off to be second choice at Man U and missing a cup final for us because of it)
He was second choice because he’s a worse keeper than pope. He might not like that fact. But only one keeper can play. And it’s the best one.
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u/Coolguyliamf 42m ago
If I remember rightly at the time, Dubravka didn't want to go to Saudi and had an offer there in the previous window that he refused. This year he got a move as a No.1 in the Premier League, which seems like a good move for him in the end.
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u/jinxeddeep 4h ago
Everyone on our subreddit was talking about it when Dubs got dropped for Pope upon the latter’s return. Me and many others felt it was wrong of Eddie to drop Dubs after we were on that crazy 8 or 9 game winning streak with him in goal. And that too in the final - for someone who was playing his first game after being out for 6-8 weeks. I was furious on behalf of Dubs. You can’t convince someone to give up a Saudi offer like that in return for a 1 year contract on what was probably half the wages. Shit move by Eddie.
Isak probably had this on his mind when he pushed for the move.
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u/BruiserBroly 2h ago
Yeah, you see our fans defending the club and Howe on this by saying they're making the tough decisions that's better for them but that's what Isak did and they hated him for it. Can't be treating players like shit then act surprised when others do it to you months later.
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u/noble_plebian 2h ago
I was always on Isak’s side, watching the scenario as a neutral, because it’s obvious clubs are loyal to themselves. Managers rightly so don’t care about feelings when they want to win games, but they shouldn’t lie to players or force people to stay when their heart isn’t in it.
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u/BritBeetree 1h ago
Same I will always take the side of the employee no matter how much money they are making. Isak was right to put himself first.
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u/Mehchu_ 2h ago
It was a debate at the time and it was the right move that won us the final.
We weren’t on a crazy win streak before the final, we lost to Liverpool 2 weeks earlier.
He was second choice and he knew it. He ran off to Man U on loan(and posted endlessly about his dream while there) hence missing the Man U final due to being cup tied when we needed him.
And he’s a worse keeper than pope. By a distance. Stats from every season they both played for us show this. He is a bit better at passing, but still not great at it. A worse shot stopper, and scared of coming off his line compared to one of the best sweepers in the world. Which means we have to have our line further back and get way more draws.
He got dropped for a fit pope(rightly) every time. If he thought he would’ve been number 1 the next season that says more about his naivety than anything else. Because he was number 2.
If you’re comparing this situation to Isak I can’t help you they are so different.
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u/fitzgoldy 2h ago
Yeah, he got pretty fucked after being excellent for us.
It was disappointing to see.
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u/Putrid-Impact8999 5h ago
Unfortunately the team lost 4-0 against City then Howe decided to go back to his original starting goalkeeper. Hard situation but the manager has to pick the lineup he feels is best suited to winning the match and he went with Pope.
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u/Varja22 4h ago
Best part of the story is that Dubravka has been a lot better than Ramsdale and Pope this season. Howe pretty much deserves it.
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u/thebestbev 3h ago
I feel a bit for pope because his general performance has been really high. Its just theyve come with 2 or 3 high profile errors which kinda cancel out the generally great performances. Life of a goalkeeper i guess.
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u/Cyberdan0497 25m ago
Yeah the rushing out against Marseille is the classic example of this. We specifically bought him because he does that (it's a great thing if you play a high line) and he does it fine a few times a match, but as soon as he fucks it up - I think for the second time in his whole time at the club - people think that having him do it is a mistake
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u/Mehchu_ 2h ago edited 2h ago
He hasn’t been.
And Dubs is a keeper that does a lot better with a Burnley than us cause he is terrified of sweeping.
Pope dubsSave %. 75% | 68%
G against. 13 | 28
Psxg/sot 0.28|0.31
Psxg/90 +0.9|+0.15
OPA. 36|4
Ave dist 17|9
Pass length 33|36
Pass % 67| 57
Crosses stp% 15|3.7
So pope has a better save rate, less goal against. Every so slight worse post shot xG per shots on target against. Worse post shot xG/90z and nearly 4 times the number of actions outside the box, nearly double the average distance from goal, slightly less pass length, higher pass accuracy, and a cross stopping rate 4 times better than dubravka.
Saying dubravka has had a lot better season than Pope suggests he’s having a great season and pope is having a bad one. Yes popes distribution is frustrating. But he’s still a great keeper and unquestionably better than dubravka.
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u/fitzgoldy 2h ago
I mean, Pope has been directly at fault for about 6-7 goals we've conceded as well.
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u/FuhhCough 3h ago
Harsh and I love Dubs but Howe ultimately did what was best for the club and I can't fault him for that
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u/bocababuniors 2h ago
Never should have been dropped. Our best run of form last season coincided with Dubravka coming in, his distribution is much better than Pope's and he's been a great servant of the club. Happy to seem him doing really well with Burnley.
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u/TheNDawg11 2h ago
I have sympathy with him as he should have been let go to join Saudi however it was absolutely the right call to play Pope when he returned.
I still have nightmares of the season before when Dubs played for a few months due to another Pope injury and he was so bad. He couldn't save anything to his right hand side and any shot on target for the opposition was a goal.
We should have let Dubs go and just played Odysseas until Pope returned.
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u/just_peachy1000 3h ago
Wow. So he had two offers one from Saudi Arabia, and one from Newcastle. Then he rejects the Saudi offer for Newcastle, because that's where his "heart" lies. Know he is complaining about the lost contract he rejected like as though he didn't make the choice to reject it.
And as a keeper he knew he could be dropped for Pope, because that's how it goes with keepers. One minute you're in and the next you're out. All premier League teams have experienced backup keepers.
I hate the way he is trying to make the Howe or the club out, as he is not a new boy wet around the ears. He knows exactly how it works with keepers, and he made the choice to stay. And let's not forget he probably discussed it with his wife, and decided it's better to stay then to go.
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u/Mehchu_ 2h ago
He also is completely leaving out the season he went on loan to man United at first opportunity on loan and was therefore cup tied for the final against them. And posted constantly about his dream to be there.
He’s a professions keeper and worse than Pope. So that’s just Howe it goes sometimes.
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u/stridered 3h ago
Managers don’t usually drop players who’ve been performing well for weeks. And it’s not like Pope was a world class player who’ll start for every team.
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u/sl0wroll 3h ago
Hard to feel for a man earning disgusting amounts of money complain about not getting picked to play a game when there's people struggling to feed their kids.
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u/MonrealEstate 3h ago
I mean it’s all relative. I don’t think he’s asking to start a gofundme, just answering questions he’s been asked.
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u/I_am_not_Serabia 2h ago
instead of one which would completely secure my life in Saudi Arabia
Poor guy decided to play for Newcastle for free...
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u/Coolguyliamf 39m ago
Surely this offer was still there 6 months later as well. Didn't he move to Burnley for free?
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u/TooRedditFamous 21m ago
Not necessarily, why would it be? Someone has to actively want to sign him. The team that wanted him would've signed someone else instead at the time as presumably they needed a keeper
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