Let’s be honest, most people like me thought Eddie Howe would be a temporary appointment at Newcastle United.
That’s until the new owners, with all their riches and the potential new power that brings, were able to attract a managerial big hitter. Well, this week, he celebrates his first year in charge having transformed them – there is no way now he can be considered a stop-gap acquisition.
Whether it was too big a club for him after moving from Bournemouth wasn’t the real issue – it was would he be given enough time? I would be amazed too that deep down the owners weren’t thinking that he was just keeping the seat warm for an eventual eye-catching arrival.
Now, the feeling is he will be on Tyneside for the long run. He deserves that because it’s not just the new signings that have made a difference. In a relatively short time, he has had other players he inherited punching way above their weight.
Yes, there has been the odd big-money signing like Bruno Guimaraes, but look at some of the other lads like Joelinton. At best, and if you were being kind, you could have called him a bit-part player up front. All of a sudden, he’s a formidable midfield player who has made a huge difference.
At times, Miguel Almiron looked like an electric mouse. Now, there is an end product to his game. All this must be down to Eddie and his coaches on the training pitch. It’s paying dividends.
He implemented a system which old and new players have bought into. He has been at the forefront of dictating how they play. You have to give him every credit in the world – forget the money aspect – he has galvanised not only the club but the whole area.
It’s been class, but now, of course, the expectation levels will be going through the roof. There will be more players coming in due to the club’s super rich owners.
Can Newcastle win a trophy this season? Have your say in the comments!
It’s all about maintaining the momentum, to keep on moving in the right direction. A good cup run would also come in handy, and Newcastle have a home Carabao Cup game against Crystal Palace in midweek.
To be honest, you can say that about the majority of the Premier League clubs. Let’s face it, there’s only a handful of clubs with a chance of winning the Premier League, so the Carabao Cup and FA Cup should be massively important for the rest.
But it’s often the Carabao Cup which offers the best chance of some silverware for the likes of Newcastle. Some people might dismiss it and you see clubs selecting under-strength sides.
I can never understand that. I’ve had the good fortune to win it. Liverpool won it four times in a row in the '80s. That didn’t do them any harm.
It can send you on a journey where you gather momentum which can aid your league campaign. Regardless of whether you win the actual trophy itself, being successful in the early rounds can set a standard. It’s not as if most clubs can pick and choose what trophy they would like to win.
So my message is go, try and win it and give your fans a day out at Wembley. Give them something to embrace and something to talk about for years to come. I sense that Eddie Howe will heed that.
I’m certain the new owners would love an early trophy as a statement of intent. It’s also important for Eddie because it’s a results business and fortunes can change so fast. He has proved himself in the last 12 months and wants that feel-good factor to continue.
You can see right now at Newcastle the enjoyment is shared right through the club. It’s certainly overdue because, in modern times - except for the Kevin Keegan era in the '90s - they haven’t been close to winning anything. There’s been little for the fans to cling on to. If you’ve got a partisan crowd behind you enjoying the football, then you’ve always got a chance.
It’s frightening that Newcastle haven’t won anything since The Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1969. Now, there is optimism that could change, that they have earned the right to be in the latter stages of tournaments, and Eddie has to take enormous credit for that.
