NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe has come out fighting after talk of his Newcastle United future in the media linked Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann with the job.

Howe has come under pressure from a minority of Newcastle fans due to poor performances, an increasingly concerning defensive record and a slide down the Premier League table. The Magpies are currently 10th in the top-flight standings, with likely eight places set to result in European competition qualification for next season.

And that has seen speculation build, particularly in the European press. Reports from Germany suggest current Germany boss Nagelsmann would be interested in replacing Howe, if Newcastle decide a change is in order this summer. That is, at this stage, not thought to be the position of the Magpies鈥� hierarchy.

Howe said he had seen the Nagelsmann talk and it did not concern him, insisting his future will be defined by his own actions, not those of others.

鈥淕enuinely it doesn鈥檛 affect me. I鈥檓 here. I鈥檓 sitting in the seat. My future will be defined by what I do, no one else,鈥� he said when quizzed on the matter.

鈥淚t鈥檚 up to me to continually prove myself. I back myself and my ability. I know my qualities. I know what I bring to the job and I have ambitions for the team and the club and I can鈥檛 control what people write and what speculation there is in every sense. I don鈥檛 try to get involved in it.鈥�

Howe was then asked whether he felt support from the club鈥檚 owners. Newcastle are 80 percent owned by the Public Investment Fund of 萝莉视频; the other 20 percent is split between RB Sports & Media (roughly 14 percent) and Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi (around 6 percent).

The Newcastle boss said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult for me to speak for them, but I have felt a support and an understanding for the season that we have had, and things that have been thrown at us and things that have happened. That鈥檚 really important from my side that I do feel that support.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to try and put words in people鈥檚 mouths or anything like that, but I think they have seen from afar how difficult this season has been.鈥�

Having won on the road in the cup, it is back to St. James鈥� Park and the challenge this weekend of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who edged ahead of Newcastle last weekend in the top-flight standings. Victory at the weekend would be Newcastle鈥檚 first win at home in all competitions since mid-December, a record which is the antithesis of their form in the 12 months previous to that, where they were near unbeatable on home turf.

Howe said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e not at our fluent best but there is a lot of good. There is some frustration that we鈥檙e not quite ourselves, but I think that will come. I have no doubt, once we鈥檙e back to full strength, hopefully you鈥檒l see the real Newcastle again.

鈥淭he last few games have been frustrating because possibly in the months gone by, they were games that we would have won or found a way to win. For whatever reason they鈥檙e games we didn鈥檛 win.

鈥淟ooking back on those games, it was also important we didn鈥檛 lose those games and to have shown the battling and fighting qualities to fight back from losing positions, which is great to see. I'd like to see us, of course, return to our best performances at home.

鈥淚 think the environment we've had to play in has been incredible; I have to thank the supporters for that. They haven鈥檛 seen us win for a while but they鈥檙e still backing us and supporting the players in the time that they鈥檙e playing. Hopefully that鈥檒l make the difference.鈥�

Meanwhile, Newcastle's reward for edging past Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round of the FA Cup is a last-eight tie at current holders Manchester City.

On hearing the draw, Howe joked: 鈥淚 was driving at the time and I almost swerved off the road.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the draw we wanted, that鈥檚 for sure. I don鈥檛 think any team wants to play Manchester City four times in a season but we鈥檙e looking forward to the game. I believe we can beat anybody when we鈥檙e at our best. We鈥檝e had three really tight games against them this year.

鈥淲hen you have time to analyze things and go through it like you do mentally, you realize that to win the FA Cup you鈥檒l probably have to beat Manchester City at some stage in the competition. So that鈥檚 been moved forward from our (point of) view and I just think we have to look at it and give everything to try and win. It will be difficult but we can do it.鈥�