Eddie Howe and his coaching team were standing at the top of the meeting room. It was the quintet's first day at Newcastle United and Howe wanted to properly address his players at the training ground before taking them outside for a gruelling session that left some members of the squad on their haunches while others even had to go to bed early.
As well as outlining their vision and their immediate short-term aims that day, Howe and his staff made it clear in the meeting that they were all in. Howe, assistant Jason Tindall, first-team coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone and head of performance Dan Hodges had left their loved ones behind on the South Coast and, to paraphrase the words used that day, this was their family now.
Aside from the odd trip to Tynemouth Park with his wife and sons, when they have been up visiting, the football-obsessed Howe has rarely been seen out of his club tracksuit on Tyneside or been spotted away from the training ground for that matter. Security staff quickly noticed that Howe was an early riser, getting to the club's Benton base when some of his players were still asleep at 6.20am, and the Newcastle boss' black Range Rover is typically the last out in the evening.
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January was a game-changer, of course, but that work ethic and the togetherness that Howe and his staff have fostered has been crucial to Newcastle's remarkable turnaround after they took over a winless side low on confidence last November. Newcastle may be ninth now, but it is easy to forget that no other team had ever stayed up after failing to win any of their opening 14 Premier League games and Howe could not have overseen this transformation on his own.
Howe previously decided against taking the Celtic job because he could not get his backroom team together so, perhaps, it was not a surprise that the 44-year-old made the 'importance' of his staff following him to Newcastle 'very clear' from the outset.
"They've all been absolutely massive for me because one voice is fine, but you've got 25 players and, sometimes, we work in very small groups to get the message across quicker," he told ChronicleLive. "Players are going with my staff and working with my staff intensely and their ability is key to get the message across, to get the work done in the way that you want it to.
"That's why I had to come in with people that I knew that, most importantly, knew my way of working and what I wanted to deliver. I've got to say the guys have been incredible both on the training ground and away from the pitch.
"They've helped build the culture and the unity that we've needed to get results so a big thank you to them. We've been a very strong team."
You only have to look at the improvements Tindall, Purches and the inherited Graeme Jones have made at set-plays to get an idea of the important roles Howe's staff have played behind the scenes. The trio have specific areas to work on as they break up set-pieces, devise routines and give the players a huge amount of detail to take out onto the pitch.
Those hours of preparation have paid off and goals from either corners or free-kicks ended up helping Newcastle win narrow games against Brighton, Southampton and Leicester City recently.
These are the fine margins and, rather than making radical changes to Newcastle's playing style immediately, as he adapted to his players, Howe felt set-plays were one of a number of obvious areas Newcastle could improve in when he was appointed. Whether it is recovery runs and underlaps or game management and building a winning mentality, these basics have been worked on pretty much every day.
The mantra throughout the five months has been to never miss a day's training, to never just go through the motions, and a leaderboard has been introduced to add an extra edge to sessions as players are rewarded with points for completing challenges. Perhaps it says it all that those who have not always played regularly, such as Jamaal Lascelles, Federico Fernandez, Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle, have helped to maintain standards.
Speaking to sources close to the players, ChronicleLive understands training has been 'really enjoyable', there has been a 'higher tempo with much more pressing' and the 'intensity was up' from literally the first day. While it is not unusual for players to raise their game when a new manager is appointed, crucially, training has stayed competitive in the weeks and months since as Martin Dubravka has noted.
"From day one, when he came here, you could see the sessions were much more intense and much longer," the goalkeeper told ChronicleLive. "The first two or three weeks were really difficult to even handle the sessions, but you need to prepare yourself for the training.
"The main factor is him and his professionalism. He knew what to do. He stuck with the plan even when we didn't get the results and that was important.
"We analysed everything. He gave us so much information - you can't imagine. It's been every day, but this is the Premier League and it has to be the top level. He is a great example of how you should be. I think everyone improves under him."
When it comes to the analysis side of things, ChronicleLive understands Howe was 'absolutely buzzing' to be reunited with Mark Leyland, who joined the club from Liverpool, after their brief spell together at Burnley. Newcastle's first ever coach analyst has helped with the implementation of training and supported Howe and his staff in making the Magpies a more effective pressing unit out of possession.
Howe, like Leyland, has been known to personally cut up clips, himself, and the 44-year-old will take individual players into the meeting room to go over the footage or give an honest answer on why they are not in the team in his office. Bruno Guimaraes had a number of these chats with Howe as the Newcastle boss eased the mid-season signing in earlier this season.
While Bruno was desperate to play, Howe reassured the Brazil international that he would get his chance as the head coach effectively protected the new signing by giving him the opportunity to get used to the pace of the Premier League first. It also sent a positive message to the dressing room as Jonjo Shelvey, Joelinton and Joe Willock kept their places because of their good form rather than being immediately dropped for an expensive new addition.
As frustrated as Bruno was, the midfielder respected that and ChronicleLive understands the 24-year-old sees Howe as a 'teacher' who he 'likes a lot'.
On the subject of man management, one player was taken aback by how Howe opened up their first conversation in his office by simply asking him how he was before finding out more details about his family and life off the field. In fact, football was barely mentioned as Howe learned more about his motivations without the said individual necessarily realising.
Those first one-to-one meetings set the tone and players and staff have felt they have been able to come to Howe if they have any issues in their personal life, which is not always the case with managers, particularly at this level. That is something that Matt Targett quickly noticed after moving to a new club and city last January.
"He knows there's always a bigger picture than football and family is probably the biggest thing so if you have any problems or anything like that, he always has a door open and you can talk to him," Targett told ChronicleLive.
Targett was welcomed to the club not only by Howe and his staff but, also, the leadership group established in the dressing room. These are senior players who have been given the freedom by Howe to really influence the group and the Newcastle boss was keen to bring in characters and talkers in the mid-season window who would complement these leaders.
Other talented targets who were found to be selfish were discounted. Howe has come to rely on Newcastle's experienced pros even when they have been out of the team or injured.
ChronicleLive understands that Callum Wilson, for example, helped play a role in securing Newcastle's first ever team training camp at the in-demand Nad Al Sheba complex in Dubai at relatively short notice last month. It was Wilson who informally checked available dates at the state of the art facility while previously doing part of his rehab there.
The facilities at Nad Al Sheba are on a different level to what Newcastle have at Benton, but Howe has looked to get the very most out of the Magpies' training base and made some aesthetic changes. When Newcastle players walk into the training ground now, the first thing they see on the television screens is what they are going to be doing that day with times set out for a team meeting, the session and, even, lunch to immediately focus minds so no minute is wasted.
In a further effort to get into the players' heads, motivational quotes have been splashed on the walls, including 'the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle' and 'success is never owned, it is only rented and the rent is due every day'.
Although Newcastle's new owners plan to build a new training ground in the years to come, Howe has been keen to ensure his players have every resource available to give them the best care right now. ChronicleLive understands Newcastle have worked with Simply Oxygen, for instance, whose hyperbaric chambers have been proven to help players recover quicker.
But new life has already been breathed into this squad.
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