Ex-Newcastle United midfielder Darren Ambrose has hailed Eddie Howe for transforming the Magpies into a team which is capable of ‘competing’ in the Premier League.
United collected 12 wins from their final 18 games to climb away from the Premier League basement battle and into a respectable 11th place last season.
Newcastle have gone onto consolidate their impressive form during the second half of last season by avoiding defeat in each of their opening three league matches (W1 D2).
Howe has overseen a remarkable transformation at St James’ Park since taking over in November 2021 and his additions during his first two transfer windows have further boosted their chances of progression.
Ambrose, who played for the Magpies for just over two years, has been impressed by Newcastle’s rapid improvement, especially considering the position that they were in when Howe took over.
“It tells us they are certainly still heading in the right direction,” Ambrose revealed on talkSPORT’s GameDay podcast. “If you look at them this time last season and beyond when they were struggling under Steve Bruce, Eddie Howe has come in and changed the whole club around.
“The atmosphere was sensational once again and it’s always going to be. Home and away support for Newcastle, they’ve got a team that can compete, they’ve got a team that they are proud of going to watch.”
Allan Saint-Maximin was the star man as Newcastle produced a stunning 3-3 draw against Manchester City on Sunday. Ambrose labelled the six-goal thriller at St James’ Park as the ‘game of the season’ but insisted that Saint-Maximin must produce top quality performances on a more consistent basis.
“Saint-Maximin looked like a man possessed. He was frightening, he was all over the pitch. But he’s set his standard now and this is how he needs to play,” Ambrose said.
He continued: “He is a fantastic footballer but he has to show it week in, week out, not just against the best teams when he wants to turn up. He has to do it when Newcastle need to grind out a point and need to grind out a result. That’s when the best players turn up and Saint-Maximin did that [against Man City].”
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