Eddie Howe is not one for celebrating too wildly, but there was a reason why the Newcastle United head coach clenched both fists and roared: "GET IN!" after Callum Wilson doubled his side's advantage against Aston Villa. This was a goal straight from the training ground.
Newcastle's second goal in Saturday's 4-0 win at St James' Park was another reminder of what Howe's staff have brought to the club after an innovative set-play routine used at Bournemouth paid dividends against Villa once more. Former Bournemouth captain Tommy Elphick previously told ChronicleLive that assistant Jason Tindall, in particular, was 'unbelievable at dead ball situations and getting you organised' and Wilson's second goal was a case in point.
Tindall, first-team coach Stephen Purches and the rest of Howe's staff are conscious of not repeating the same plays - to maintain the 'element of surprise' as the Newcastle boss said after the game - but so much time had passed since this particular routine was used against Villa during their spell at Bournemouth. In fact, none of those players who were in Villa's match day squad that day in 2016 were still at the club when the visitors travelled to St James' Park at the weekend.
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So, with 56 minutes on the clock, it fell to Kieran Trippier to take on the role of former Bournemouth defender Simon Francis as the right-back played the corner short to Miguel Almiron. Almiron, like Matt Ritchie before him, turned away from goal, attracting Villa's markers in the process, before backheeling the ball down the line to Trippier on the overlap.
Wilson knew exactly where he needed to be as the striker anticipated the cross just as Steve Cook did all those years ago, and Trippier picked out the head of his team-mate before the ball bounced down into the turf, off the post and into the net. It was the fifth goal Newcastle had scored from a corner this season as the Magpies made the most of Trippier's deliveries once more.
Wilson's header gave the hosts breathing space at 2-0 before Newcastle blew the visitors away. It was yet another important set-piece goal at an crucial time of the game after Bruno Guimaraes' header previously opened the scoring against Brentford; Sean Longstaff's goal killed 10-man Fulham off just before half-time; and Jamaal Lascelles and Chris Wood's goals turned a Carabao Cup tie at Tranmere on its head.
It would be hard to imagine such a return if Howe's staff did not follow the head coach to St James' last November and that has been a real bonus for the club's owners; they did not just get a new manager but a coaching team, too. In Howe's final season at Bournemouth, after all, half of the Cherries' goals came from set-pieces and Newcastle have improved in this department in the last 12 months. Everton assistant Paul Clement even went as far as to say Newcastle are 'one of the best set-play teams in the country'.
That does not happen by accident and, following the 4-0 win against Villa, Howe paid tribute to Tindall, Purches, assistant Graeme Jones and first-team coach Simon Weatherstone before highlighting the role the club's analysts also play in a 'collective effort'. This department, like so many at the club, is growing after Howe previously vowed that 'we need to produce a higher level of everything right across the board for the players'.
Mark Leyland arrived from Liverpool as the club's first ever coach analyst; Andrew Forrester has come in as a data analyst; and ChronicleLive understands the Magpies have brought in Michael Emmerson, who was the lead academy analyst at Chelsea.
As well as making external appointments, Newcastle have promoted from within, too, to support the likes of head of performance analysis Thomas Coffield and first-team performance analyst Kieran Taylor. Joe Friar, formerly a performance analyst with the under-18s, has been working as a first-team performance analysis assistant while Dani Garcia has been employed as a first-team goalkeeper analyst after previously serving as a goalkeeping coach at the academy.
These analysts, like Howe's coaching staff, are quietly playing their part in Newcastle's turnaround behind the scenes.
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