Eddie Howe has revealed he felt humbled after he and his squad were welcomed to the home of Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The whole squad and co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were present for the event on Monday night and Howe said the players were thrilled to be in his presence.
Howe told reporters in Riyadh: “Really, really special moment for the chairman to welcome us to his home. It wasn’t underestimated by us, it was a really nice gesture.
"It’s not every day that you have that invitation, so we were humbled to accept it. He was really, really good with us, communicated his thoughts on and visions on the future.
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"I really enjoyed spending time with him and his family. He was very welcoming and open, and I’m sure the players feel the same way. He was very good with them. He interacts and talks with them in a really good way."
Talking about the Toon supremo's speech, Howe added: “I think he’s very much for the team. He wants to acknowledge that and bring everyone together. He speaks really well and honestly, and I’m sure the players appreciated his words. It was ‘well done, but we want more, we’re very ambitious’. I think that’s what the players want to hear."
Howe spoke about the team ethic that the Newcastle owner has too, he reflected: "We didn’t go too far into the future, just to continue to work as hard as you are, and stick together as a team.
"He’s been really pleased watching the team, how it’s fought for everything. They were team messages, but very effective messages. I think it was an acknowledgment from him to the staff as well. I think it was just nice for everyone to share that moment."
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