Eddie Howe's cool, calm and collected approach with Newcastle United began the very moment he hit "send" with his CV last autumn.
For all the grandstanding of other candidates, with some managers making it clear they'd only talk if they were the only candidate for the job, Howe was happy to be patient. As the weeks went by under new ownership Paulo Sousa, Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery were all heavily tipped for the job.
But by the end, Howe, the calmest of all the applicants, was handed the opportunity of a lifetime to manage Newcastle with wealthy backers behind him. As the anniversary of his first year sweeps by, it's worth remembering Howe started the rebuilding process with a note of caution.
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His cool persona continued even when it took four games to get that first win against Burnley then another six, including an FA Cup exit to Cambridge, to really get his ideas across to each player. From the turn of the year though Howe had his Magpies in stunning form.
One Toon insider says: "It has flown by and that says it all because the players and staff are really enjoying themselves at work". Another said: "There is a clear purpose for everything we do now."
But it wasn't always plain sailing for Howe. He inherited a team staring relegation in the face. In his first Press conference, he was asked whether he could save the club but said: "There are no guarantees."
But even he must have been taken aback at the way Newcastle chalked up 11 wins in the second half of the season to not only stave off the threat of relegation but also finish 11th with an impressive 49 points.
What has changed behind the scenes at Newcastle in the last 12 months? Here we break down Howe's year of change on Tyneside.
Culture
From the moment Howe walked in the door at Newcastle he set about making some subtle changes - which start the second the players enter the club's Benton training base on a daily basis.
Where once they would have been greeted by a screen displaying Sky Sports News, potentially churning out doom and gloom on a previous result or another Mike Ashley catastrophe, instead players get both motivation and a competitive vibe.
Leaderboards displaying the best performers in training and team pictures are displayed while the week ahead is mapped out with fixtures and training schedules. Every player knows where they stand.
Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser says: "You won't just see what you're doing, you'll see why you're doing it." It feels like a far cry from the days of stumbling from one crisis to the next with the only aim seemingly staying in the Premier League.
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Positive signs - quite literally!
The inside of the training ground has changed significantly since Howe took over. Not just in terms of structure but also the feel of the place.
Under previous owner Mike Ashley, even the club crest had fallen off the wall at Benton! But the message is clear now and there is pride around the place.
Signs reading: "The relentless pursuit of better" and "Every session, every game, every moment, make it count." Dan Burn also said: "One of the signs the manager displayed was: 'Intensity is our identity' and it's stuck with the players."
Leadership group
In the summer Eddie Howe made it clear that there wasn't just one leader in the dressing room in long serving skipper Jamaal Lascelles. As things have unfolded Kieran Trippier has ended up being the match day captain more often than not.
But Howe was happy to underline that Lascelles, Trippier, Callum Wilson and Dan Burn were all part of his leadership group. In short, you don't have to be playing to help lead the team and the responsibility isn't just on one person's shoulders as it was previously.
Transfer acumen
Howe has always played down spending money and in fairness, he has got the best out of Joelinton, Sean Longstaff, Fabian Schar and Miguel Almiron since arriving as the gaffer.
Bringing in Kieran Trippier was a masterstroke last January while Bruno Guimaraes has been an incredible piece of business at £38million. Fellow January signings such as Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Chris Wood - who scored two crucial goals in the fight against the drop - have also played a part in the turnaround.
On to the summer and Newcastle stayed patient to sign Sven Botman for around £32million in another deal that looks like another snip. Nick Pope's £10million fee was a bargain while the £63million deal for Alexander Isak was necessary.
All in all, it feels like £200million well spent, even if some asking prices, like Isak and Wood, were pushed up by selling clubs. One agent said: "Eddie puts the players first and then it's all about their day to day experience at training."
Another top overseas representative said: "My client's move to Newcastle has been a dream. Eddie is one of the top managers, not only in the Premier League but also in Europe."
The star signing's view on Howe's year in charge
England international Kieran Trippier has pinpointed pre-season as the key point of the Howe era on Tyneside. The man signed from Atletico Madrid has been a revelation at St James' Park and has helped transform the club on and off the field.
Whether it has been swirling home free-kicks in important Premier League games or turning up at away games to support the team while on crutches after injury, Trippier's role has been crucial.
Trippier told Chronicle Live: "Eddie Howe has improved the club - that is there for everybody to see. What was important was that he got his first pre-season under his belt.
"He stamped his authority then on the way he wanted to play. Also the players he wanted to bring in. You can now see in the performances this season it really has shown."
The sporting director's view on Howe
The arrival of a sporting director or director of football can spell trouble for managers, especially when they have not worked together before. But when Dan Ashworth finally broke free of his contractual agreement with Brighton one of the first things he done was to start talking to Howe about a new deal.
Ashworth told ChronicleLive: "I work very closely with Eddie, speak to him every day. Things are in a good place and I would sincerely hope he will stay."
Howe does not have an England release clause in his contract and he has stated how much he enjoys the day to day work with players at Newcastle. In some ways it feels like Howe is destined to manage England one day but while he readily admits his dream is to win a trophy at St James' Park, there is no reason to think that will be any time soon.
Unpredictable Newcastle
During Howe's 18-month sabbatical from football management, he colour-coded every training session in his playbook. And pretty much every week there is a different theme to keep players alive and alert.
Of course, the emphasis is on a good defence, good midfield and good attack. But ultimately the patterns of training sessions aren't dull.
And just when teams think they've got Newcastle worked out they throw in a set-piece routine, either driven by Howe himself, Jason Tindall or Stephen Purchess which has thrown opponents this season already.
The recent 5-1 win over Brentford saw a Kieran Trippier short corner whipped in at pace for Bruno Guimaraes to head home while last weekend's thumping of Aston Villa saw Trippier go short again with Miguel Almiron - with a clever back-heel - to find Callum Wilson who rose with a header.
Mentality
Speaking to Callum Wilson after the Brentford game was an interesting experience in the mixed zone recently. When reminded of a 1-1 draw in 2020 at Tottenham, Wilson was asked if he would have taken a draw this season he smiled and said: "Look we will go there, and we focus on playing well, the result then takes care of itself."
And that's exactly what happened as Newcastle won 2-1 with Wilson scoring a great goal in the capital. Compare that to the tough environment of fighting against relegation, as Newcastle were before Howe and the takeover, and the striker knows what he prefers.
Wilson said: "When you are playing you want to be winning games and competing against the best. It's not nice being in a relegation battle and every game is 'must win'.
"Of course, every game is must win because you want to win, but we are in uncharted territory where the group has not been before. So you enjoy the ride rather than feel it's 'must win'. We are putting solid team performances."
Top four status is no fluke
The Magpies head into Howe's one-year anniversary game at Southampton sitting in fourth place but after one defeat in the first 13 matches, it's hardly a false position.
The annual Premier League table of 2022 has Newcastle in fifth place under Howe's guidance with 62 points collected this year. United have shown they can do it across the course of a calendar year, the next test is whether they can do it across a whole season.
Conclusion and where next?
Whether it's the little touches around the training ground or simply getting players to believe in themselves again, Howe has had a near-perfect impact since arriving as a somehow unemployed manager in November 2021.
He's won 21 matches from a possible 42 with just 11 defeats and 11 draws leaving him with a 47% win percentage, and he's right up there with Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson. Even at 3-0 against Villa, he was urging the team forward for more goals at the weekend.
The style of play suits the fans. It's a 4-3-3 and the team are encouraged to put pressure on defences whether they are at home or away, it feels like a throwback to the Entertainers era - and you wouldn't say that lightly around here.
So Newcastle could not have ended up with a better choice as boss last year it seems. Getting to the upper reaches of the Premier League has been admirable but staying there is the next challenge.
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