When Newcastle United appointed Eddie Howe, eyebrows were raised.
Off the pitch, Newcastle were entering a new era under the new ownership following the October takeover. Mike Ashley was gone and the spirit amongst supporters were high.
However, on the pitch they were floundering. Steve Bruce departed Newcastle with the Magpies sitting in 19th place in the Premier League. They had only picked up three points after eight games.
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Enter Howe, who arrived on Tyneside in November after the club failed to land Villarreal boss Unai Emery. Howe had been out of work since he departed Bournemouth in August 2020 after a season that saw the Cherries relegated.
Questions were asked over whether or not he was a suitable appointment to keep the Magpies in the Premier League given their dismal start to the season.
However, a year on from the takeover of the club by PIF, it looks as though the appointment of Howe was an absolute masterstroke.
The 44-year-old masterminds an incredible turnaround in fortunes at St James' Park, catapulting Newcastle to an 11th place finish in the Premier League.
And in a recent ChronicleLive takeover fans survey, which almost 6,000 fans took part in, a whopping 77% of Newcastle supporters polled name Howe's appointment as the new owners best decision while in charge.
9% of supporters believe their best decision has been the recruitment made in the transfer market by the Magpies which has seen the likes of Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak added to Newcastle's squad.
5% believe the appointments of Dan Ashworth and Darren Eales have been their most important decision, while another 5% reckon their best move to date has been their removal of the Sports Direct signage from St James' Park.
Training ground redevelopments come in on ChronicleLive's survey with 3% while 1% of supporters polled believe the decision re-instate Alan Shearer's name to 'Shearer's Bar' has been their best decision.
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