When the supporters of the Premier League’s duelling titans Manchester City and Liverpool surveyed their run-ins, few would have ringed Newcastle United as a potential stumbling block.
But the Magpies are a club transformed in the 93 days since they turned up at Elland Road at the turn of the year effectively supping in the last chance saloon as the rest of the Premier League’s strugglers disappeared over the horizon.
They were 19th that day, grinding out a precious win as Eddie Howe talked about showing the rest of the league they were not “dead and buried yet”.
Now Newcastle sit ninth, with only the two clubs regarded as the finest in Europe above them in the recent form table. Saturday’s 3-0 win at Norwich, a seventh win in ten games, was inspired by the excellence of Brazilian pair Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes and the fluency with which they now execute their high press will have been noted at Anfield.
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Previous iterations of Newcastle United have been happy to sit back and absorb the blows when the heavyweights come to town. This team carries threat that makes Saturday’s midday appointment at St James’ Park the standout fixture of the weekend.
Huge credit has to go to Howe for the way he has reset the mindset of the club. His appointment came at a time when the optimism of Newcastle’s £350million takeover was still fresh, but results lagged far behind. The club had been hollowed out by Mike Ashley and stagnated under Steve Bruce. There was a lot of work to do.
Howe has been heavily backed in the transfer market by an ownership group that were desperate to avoid relegation but talk to those inside the club and they will tell you it has not been a story of throwing money at a problem to fix it.
Instead, Howe and his backroom team have put in the hard yards – often arriving before 7am and departing the training ground late into the evening. Individual player performance plans have been a key part of the revival, Howe following up initial meetings with squad members who were under-performing with detailed dossiers and training ground work intended to improve.
True to form, the best performances have come from those he inherited. Joelinton has been transformed into a warrior-like central midfielder, although his two goals at Carrow Road came when he played on the left of the forward line. Jonjo Shelvey is anchoring the midfield superbly. Emil Krafth looks a more than capable understudy for Kieran Trippier, who has missed most of their recent run of form. Fabian Schar has been colossal.
Howe believes in small details. Big screens at the training ground that once showed Sky Sports News now carry countdowns to the next game or motivational messages. In the run up to one game, the running stats for the previous match were displayed to illustrate how hard the group was working.
There has been an emphasis on togetherness and unity. Team photos from the dressing room after wins may have irked rival supporters but, in the words of Howe, are a reminder to “enjoy the moment”. They have improved the bond between fans and players.
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It has got Newcastle fans dreaming of more to come next season. Funds will be available but as one insider told i: “Everything flows from Eddie. When you see his work first hand, it’s excellent. We can’t believe we got him.”
Indeed it’s understood recruitment will continue the “no d___head” policy which has seen Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Trippier take to life on Tyneside so quickly. Suddenly Howe’s band of brothers pose a serious threat.
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