EDDIE Howe brushed off a cheeky dig from Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool boss said the Premier League's new technical area rules would only prove to be a "problem" for Newcastle.
Klopp poked fun at Howe and assistant Jason Tindall last week when asked about the new top flight regulations which only allow one coach in the technical area at any given time.
"It’s like that in the Champions League anyway. I think it’s only a problem for one team: Newcastle. Sorry," laughed Klopp.
Howe admits the new rules have forced the head coach and his assistant to change the way they work. The pair have both long worked side by side in the technical area on a matchday but will now "dovetail" to ensure they can still get key messages to the players.
"I heard about them (Klopp's comments) through various sources," said Howe.
"The rules do impact us slightly more than other teams just because of how we worked historically. This isn't a new thing for me and Jason, this has been a thing for as long as I've been in management, that's how we worked. I didn't find it too bad last week. We dovetailed in and out of the area, it worked, we talked, I didn't notice a big difference from previous seasons."
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Though Klopp's taunt was light-hearted, Howe was asked whether it was another indicator that Newcastle are "getting under the skin" of their rivals.
He said: "I don't know, I wouldn't know. We're just trying to do the best we can in every moment and every area. The design from us isn't to annoy other people, it's to try and win games and be successful. If that annoys other clubs there's nothing we can do about it."
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