Eddie Howe has revealed his admiration for Kevin Keegan and Newcastle United's Entertainers era came long before he was appointed as boss.
Howe's history session - where the current Toon star's were treated to clips of greats from the 1990s - last week at the training ground wasn't simply to generate soundbites and originated from his own upbringing in the game. It's been said many times that Keegan's Newcastle were the "second team" for fans and Howe appears to be one of them.
The Entertainers era culminated in 1996 when Keegan's side lost a 12-point lead after looking odds on to win the title with just 15 matches left before Manchester United's persistence handed them the trophy in the final week of the season.
When asked his own tactical observation of that moment, Howe told Chronicle Live: "I have been in football to know anything is possible. "Both ways!
"I watched that from afar as a young man. I loved watching Newcastle play at that time.
"But I only have positive things to say about that era. "Not winning the league (in 1996) would have been a big blow to everybody but I think the team left its mark in such a positive way because of its style of play. I think it should be celebrated."
Howe wants to take the spirit of the Entertainers forward with his current Newcastle side. And rather than see the history of the club as a burden, he wants to try to build towards something similar long-term.
Howe said: "We have a big responsibility to try to perform in a way that excites the supporters. "Especially a club with a history of doing that.
"We really need to galvanise the support base to really want to watch us play every week home and away. "That's not to say we are there yet to do that on a consistent basis.
"That's obviously our wish. "We want to add a lot of flair and style to our play."
Reflecting on last week's video session, Howe said: "I spoke with the players about the history and Kevin Keegan was included in that talk. "We are really trying to engage with the players about what has gone on in the past and celebrate our past.
"We have to try to connect with our past then create our own history."
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