Newcastle United haven't always been blessed with a plethora of dressing room leaders in years gone by. The rudderless campaign of 2015/16 in particular saw dismal collapse after dismal collapse as Steve McClaren left Rafa Benitez with an uphill task of keeping the Magpies in the top flight.
Admittedly not every Newcastle squad has suffered with leadership problem - but with only Fabricio Coloccini and Jamaal Lascelles permanently captaining the Tyneside outfit in the last decade, there hasn't been much room to manoeuvre. Fast forward to present day and the St. James' Park home dressing room is bulging with key players who have stepped up in recent months.
Fabian Schar was the latest to take the captaincy during the 1-0 defeat to Everton earlier this month, while Callum Wilson led the side in the December win over Norwich. Kieran Trippier was given the role during the home win over Aston Villa, much to the delight of fans.
JOIN THE DEBATE: Buy tickets and further details of our live NUFC podcast fans event
Lascelles remains the main man when fit and Jonjo Shelvey has stepped up as deputy on a number of occasions both under Howe and predecessor Steve Bruce. It's also easy to imagine the likes of Paul Dummett, Federico Fernandez, Matt Ritchie, Martin Dubravka and fan-favourite Dan Burn donning the armband if called upon.
So, it begs the question - do Newcastle have a 'Blue Chip Brigade' once again? The phrase became synonymous with Sir Bobby Robson during his time at Newcastle two decades ago. Back in the day, it was the likes of Alan Shearer, Rob Lee, Shay Given, Warren Barton and Steve Harper who were key allies of the ex-England boss during his times of need.
During a tetchy interview with a Daily Mirror reporter, Robson once said: "I read that one supporter was suggesting the club gets rid of Alan Shearer, Rob Lee, Warren Barton and Gary Speed. Without those players we would have been in the First Division and they were and still are our Blue Chip Brigade."
Former Newcastle coach and one Robson's close confidants back in the day, Mick Wadsworth, has explained it perfectly. "He called them his 'Blue Chip Brigade' and he knew they'd carry the rest of the squad with them. They did," he admitted.
It's impossible to say Newcastle don't have big-name players that will carry the more inexperienced members of this squad through tricky moments, as seen in recent months.
Trippier's influence has been clear for all to see, both before and after his injury. Shelvey and Schar have shown their maturity through their improved form of late, imperative to helping Newcastle storm clear of the drop zone. Meanwhile, a fully-fit Wilson leads from the front as well as chipping in with vital goals.
"We’ve created a leadership group within the squad, so that's something that we’ve really worked hard on since we’ve come in, in terms of building leaders within the team, allowing those leaders to really influence the group," Howe admitted in December.
Admittedly the current crop of first-team stars aren't yet at the footballing level of the Shearer, Lee and Speed types. But it's incredibly positive to see Howe place his trust in a wide range of key players at a crucial time for the club.
