Eddie Howe has made his critics and naysayers look beyond brainless in recent months. Former players, pundits and supporters - both on Tyneside and further afield - questioned the 44-year-old’s ability to coach a defence.
Let us take ex-England international Danny Mills, for example. After Howe’s appointment last November, he bullishly wrote: “Is he (Howe) the man to help them survive? Phwoar, I don’t know. I’m not 100 per cent sure I’m convinced by that.
“That will be an interesting one to see how it works out. Is Howe the right man for survival? I’ll take some convincing. They (Bournemouth) went down because they didn’t have a solid defence. His last job was relegation. Are you going to put the job of staying up on someone who’s just been relegated?”
