Eddie Howe reckons saving Newcastle from relegation will be up with his best achievement in management.
The Geordies were winless until December and had just five points when Howe took over in November. They are now on 37 points and all but mathematically safe, on a streak of eight wins from 12 games. Only Liverpool (12 games, 32pts) and Spurs (15 games, 27pts) have won more points in the Premier League in 2022 than Newcastle (13 games 26pts).
Howe’s side are looking for their sixth home win in a row, last achieved under Sir Bobby Robson in the 2002-3 season. Asked how the turnaround ranked compared to leading Bournemouth through the divisions to the top flight, Howe said: “It would be right up there, right up there, but we’re still in the middle of the battle."
Asked how he felt in the deep mid-winter January, Howe said: "It's difficult. I don't think worry was the emotion. I knew it was going to be a really difficult challenge. We had obstacles in front of us. The transfer window was really important while also playing some key games.
“It was really difficult, we knew how tough it was and we thought it could easily go down to the last game of the season [away to Burnley ]. To get the best out of the players we had, to give them some confidence so they went on to the pitch thinking they were going to win.”
The victory at Leeds, only the second of the season on January 22, before a training trip to Saudi Arabia, has been picked by Howe as a turning point. "Leeds was a turning point for us. We went to Saudi Arabia after that, which was a brilliant trip for the group and we came back in a much better place, united and ready to start the fight to stay in the division. That was a massive, massive result for us that led to the good run of form since.”
Howe has made Newcastle tough to score against - bar the Spurs game - fiter, organised and resilient. New signings like Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett and Chris Wood have all played a key role after £94m was spent.
But soon comes the next stage of the revolution, with more spending in the summer and Howe hopes for a more attractive style with more goals scored. “Yes we want to score more goals. I think our style evolves that way rather than us trying to find it. We want to win and entertain and play in the style everyone wants. We are not there yet. We are in the early stages of building. We want the same intensity and desire to win, plus more control and to express ourselves with the ball."
The St James’ Park factor has also been a big plus, with a flag waving crowd positive and enthused. Howe added: “We love another home win the way the stadium looked and felt was excellent, and a privilege to play in. The atmosphere has been fantastic. We needed their support. On Sunday against Leicester we didn’t have much of the ball and it was a grind defensively. The fans got the reward at the end and it was a big thank you to them from us.”
“There has been a healthy momentum and we can’t shy away from that. That is a good thing for us. The players confidence levels have definitely risen and there is a good feeling about the group.”
Summer recruitment will be important too, with character plus talent, the key for Howe. He added: “It is so important you get good people in your dressing room. Bruno Guimaraes is typical of what we want. He is not selfish. He thinks of the team. His weekend will be judged on the team winning or losing . We need to bring players in of a similar mindset who think of the club first and individual second. It is the most difficult part of the recruitment process.”
But no aspect is being ignored, with players sleep and diet all being reviewed. Howe added: “You have to go to that level of detail. The margins between success and failure are so small, anything you can do to help the players is worth it.”
