Newcastle United Before and After the appointment of Eddie Howe.
The geordies are flying high. But what exactly has Eddie Howe changed?
Eddie Howe is being regarded as one of the best managers in world football at this moment, But was it always like this? Well to answer this question in short i would say No. Lets go back in time to November of 2021, Newcastle has just been taken over by a consortium comprising of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, PCP capital partners and the Reuben Brothers, Spirits are high within the club and the fans were sensing a real change of events that would take the geordies back to the very top. They needed a manager that could guide them to the very top and could build the spirts of this beaten and lackluster Newcastle side. After the sacking of Steve Bruce the pressure was on the Consortium to find a replacement and find one quick as the Magpies had already played 3 top flight fixtures without an established manager.
The consortium had approached the Spaniard Unai Emery at the time but were left with egg on their faces after he rejected joining the club. Then came Eddie Howe who had reportedly “Wowed” the owners in his interview and finally Howe was given an initial contract of 2.5 years that would keep him at the club till the Summer of 2024. He returned to management after nearly 18 months, He had left his previous managerial club AFC Bournemouth after being at the club for 8 years. He rejected an opportunity to manage Scottish club Celtic in May of 2021.
Newcastle were languishing in 19th place when Eddie Howe took over it was no secret that it would take a herculean effort to keep this side in the Premier League for next season. Newcastle had one win in 10 games in all competitions and if you ask any football fan they would tell you for a fact that is relegation form. The media butchered the Newcastle board for signing Eddie Howe as according to them he was “too attacking”.
Howe now had his work cut out for him he knew what he needed to do in order to keep this squad in the premier league for the upcoming season.
Newcastle after appointing Howe won only 1 out of the 10 games he was in charge off, They also got knocked out of the FA cup by Cambridge United.
Well then Howe did it all change?
We can’t talk about the Newcastle Remontada without mentioning the fact that they had a blank chequebook facing the back half of the campaign. Fellow relegation battlers Watford spent 22 million in the January transfer window Burnley spent 13 and Norwich spent no money at all on incomings, Whereas on the Other hand the Geordies spent a whopping 92 million on incomings. The shopping list was a big one but one that surely helped. The signings included star names such as Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimarães and fellow premier league players by the names of Chris Wood, Dan Burn and Matt Targett.
With the new signings walking through the door and a Buzz around Tyneside Newcastle were now on the up and were winning games more frequently. Kieran Trippier was one of the signings that hat settled right in, We know how good he is at his free kicks and he bagged 2 goals in 4 games before being ruled out through injury. The Brazilian Bruno Guimarães had a real impact on this Newcastle side scoring a goal on his debut, And with Dan Burn and Matt Targett at the back the Magpies looked way more solid and stable at the back.
Its Tempting to say Newcastle’s story is a transfer story but its not just that. Even after the signings players such as Joelinton and Fabian Schär have been one of the best players under Howe. There is no denying from the fact that the signings helped Newcastle massively but its not just the singings its also the spirit of competitiveness around the club which helped people who were already at the club compete with the new signings for their spot in the starting 11.
As the season went on Newcastle got better and better, With the help of the new signings and the players already at the club Eddie Howe had struck gold and was building something special.
The 1-0 win against Burnley at St James’s park was the start but for me the game where Howe’s Magpies came together was the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at home. Howe had experimented with a few formations prior to the United game but Against the Red Devils Howe went with a 4-3-3 and it worked wonders, The team pressed as a unit and attacked in numbers which caused the united all sorts of problems.
From there onwards there was no looking back for the geordies, they continued playing some beautiful football throughout the season and ended up finishing 11th in the Premier League. Eddie Howe had already shown what he was capable of in half a season and he had the backing of the fans and the board heading into the next season.
At the time of Writing Newcastle sit 3rd in the Premier League and have just lost one game all season. Their rigid defense has kept 16 clean sheets in 24 games, One of the Main reasons for that is their goalkeeper Nick Pope, Signed for Just 10 million from Burnley Nick Pope seems like an absolute steal.
One piece of Criticism that was aimed at Howe at his time at Bournemouth was for all his attacking strengths he couldn’t sure their backline. The same cannot be said now as with the acquisition of players like Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Dan Burn they have gotten way more stable and steady at the back and the record speaks for itself.
It is shaping up to be a dream season for Newcastle as they have one foot in the final of the EFL cup as they lead Southampton 1-0 in the first leg of the semi final. They are in pole position to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the champions league next season, And with the brand new signing of Anthony Gordon from Everton this adds extra depth and Quality to this star studded Newcastle side.
mad thats crazy tho howe did sucha good job. well written bruv