It has been a period beyond any Newcastle fan’s wildest dreams – and a world away from what the Magpies produced under his predecessor. But never mind Steve Bruce, where does Eddie Howe’s first year on Tyneside place him alongside the Premier League’s managerial elite?
We’ve crunched the stats of Howe’s miracle work so far to see how it stacks up against the maiden 12 months of the English game’s greatest modern-day managerial reigns.
From the men he is now mixing it with in the Champions League places to great managers of the recent past, such as Jose Mourinho, just how does Howe’s first year in Toon measure up?
READ MORE: Eddie Howe can end Newcastle's embarrassing League Cup record to top what he thought was possible
Howe, having inherited a team without a win this time last season, has a 48.8% win ratio in his 41 Premier League games in charge. All told, Newcastle have picked up 1.73 points per game in that time, and recorded a league defeat ratio of just 24.4%.
But what of the top flight’s other top managers after year one in their jobs? The answer is that Howe’s maiden 12 months at St James’ Park have seen him surpass the first-year record of a Champions League-winning – and a Champions League finalist – manager.
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri inherited a Leicester squad that had only narrowly survived relegation in 2014-15, winning seven of their final nine games to finish 14th.
What happened next was pure fantasy football, as the Italian led the Foxes to the unlikeliest title triumph in history, with a tally of 81 points over 38 games.
In all in his first calendar year in charge, Ranieri recorded a win rate of 60.53% and picked up 2.13 points per game to seal his position at the top of our first-year list.
Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool fans: look away now . . . Klopp's first year in charge at Anfield is cast into the shade by Howe’s maiden 12 months on Tyneside.
Having taken over from the sacked Brendan Rogers eight games into the 2015-16 season with Liverpool lying 10th in the Premier League table, Klopp steered the Reds to an eighth-place finish.
At the end of his first full year in charge, Liverpool were second in the top flight, with 16 points from their first seven league games.
But despite that, and him overseeing a significant improvement in goals scored after the signing of Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, Klopp’s points-per-game ratio in those 12 months was just 1.72.
Unai Emery
Emery took charge of Arsenal after the end of the 2017-18 season following Arsene Wenger’s retirement after 22 years at the helm.
The Gunners edged forward in the Spaniard’s first season in charge, recording a fifth-place finish in the Premier League - one place higher than the season prior.
Emery’s points-per-game return that season, after Arsenal finished on 70 points, was 1.82, from a win percentage of 55.26%. But by the time he was sacked by Arsenal the following November, Emery’s points per game ratio had fallen marginally below Howe’s.
Jose Mourinho
Focusing on the first year of his most recent Premier League job - at Tottenham – Mourinho’s stats do not come out too badly.
Having succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 with Spurs floundering in 14th in the table, the Special One elevated them to a sixth-placed finish that season.
And a strong start to the subsequent campaign meant Mourinho’s first year saw him pick up an impressive 62 points at an average of 1.94 per game.
Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel is another of the fastest starters among managers in recent Premier League history. Having taken over from Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in January 2021, Tuchel steered the Blues from ninth in the table to a top four finish that season.
Having also won the Champions League, the opening months of the 2021-22 did not hint at the problems to come for Tuchel, as he ended his maiden 12 months at Stamford Bridge having amassed 85 points in 43 Premier League games at a ratio of 1.97 per match.
Pep Guardiola
Guardiola inherited a Manchester City side thought to have under-performed with a fourth-place finish under Manuel Pellegrini 2015-16.
Although the Premier League title proved beyond him in his first season, Guardiola lifted City to third place, having picked up 78 points at 2.05 per game.
Antonio Conte
Conte returned to the Premier League with Spurs just six days before Howe was confirmed as Newcastle manager. But while Spurs were having their issues, they were 11 points clear of the Magpies at that stage.
So it is little surprise that Conte’s first calendar year in North London has seen him pick up an average of 2.0 points per game. However, there is no escaping the fact that Tottenham currently lie beneath Newcastle in the Premier League table.
Mauricio Pochettino
Although held in high regards by most fans over his five years with the club – not least for leading them to their first Champions League final – Poch did not get off to a flying start at Spurs.
Having inherited a squad fresh from finishing sixth in the Premier League in May 2014, Pochettino guided Tottenham to fifth place the following season.
But in terms of points, Spurs’ tally of 64 was five fewer than in the previous campaign – and they came at an average of just 1.68 per game.
Mikel Arteta
Arteta may be flying now, but his start at Arsenal was the slowest of any manager on this list. In the 20 games he took charge of in 2019-20, Arsenal won 33 points of the 60 available.
But the Gunners then rounded off Arteta’s first year in charge by picking up just 14 points in their opening 14 games the following season. That left Arteta with a points-per-game average in his maiden year in management of 1.38.
READ NEXT
Eddie Howe offers Callum Wilson World Cup verdict and explains Joelinton disappointment
Jamie Carragher sees past Newcastle money critics and the 'questions' Eddie Howe has swept aside
'Newcastle through and through' - Eddie Howe's message as Magpies find the perfect man for new era
Crystal Palace boss highlights key area to improve ahead of Newcastle United clash
