Actually, with the current performance of Newcastle, in my opinion, Eddie Howe should feel threatened because in fact they are currently experiencing problems and crises in performance.
Newcastle have spent quite a lot to make their readiness in a good position and are considered one of the dangerous clubs in the last 2 seasons so it is certain that when the conditions are not in accordance with the desired expectations, the coach must be ready to bear all the decisions because it is certainly the coach who will be targeted because he is considered unable to advance the club.
Howe can get out of this trap if he is able to improve Newcstle's performance but if in the end he cannot do that then he must be prepared to leave.
Of course it is true that Newcastle United has performed quite poorly this season and indeed Howe must be able to see weaknesses to be corrected immediately. They seem to have returned to their weakest point because they are already a mid-table team. Even though Newcastle United has healthy finances, they don't use it to buy many quality players so they can't compete strongly this season.
To be able to close the season in the top 4, it will probably be difficult for Howe to do this season because they are already quite far behind Arsenal, who are ranked in the top 4.
Howe needs to recruit quality players if he wants to compete with big teams like liverpool and Manchester City. If they only rely on existing players then they need a miracle like they did last season.