How Eddie Howe Has Turned It Around for Newcastle

Since the dismissal of Steve Bruce and the subsequent appointment of Eddie Howe as his successor, Newcastle United have looked a completely different side.

Since January 22nd, the Magpies have won nine out of 13 games in that time, taking 28 points from a possible 39 in the process. They sit 2nd in the form table, with only Liverpool ahead of them. A monumental turnaround considering they were favourites for relegation at one stage.

After an abysmal start to the season, Newcastle are now safe from the relegation zone with five games to spare - no other team in Premier League history has managed to stay up after failing to win in their first 14 games.

Howe’s focus on repairing the relationship between the club and its fans as well as the culture within Newcastle has been paramount to their success since his appointment.

While the tedious end to Mike Ashley’s reign as Newcastle United owner has left fans beaming with optimism, there was still a long way to go for Howe to repair that relationship between the club and its loyal fanbase.

Through comprehensive preparation for each match to ensure that a positive result is taken, combined with a culture reset, Howe has completely turned around Newcastle’s season, and as a result, set the foundations for the new era for the Magpies.

While the spending in January clearly aided the turnaround, with the likes of Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier bringing in a mix of experience, hunger and quality, it’s the improvement of those that have been there since the start that has been the most impressive.

The form of defenders Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth has been monumental in helping them keep three clean sheets in their last four, not to mention the turnaround of Joelinton and Joe Willock in the attack which has seen the former go from looking like a lost puppy in centre forward to a dominant number 8 in one of the seasons craziest and most amazing comeback stories.

Howe has restored hope and passion into the hearts of Newcastle fans who have been longing for some form of success for such a long time. The atmosphere at St James’ Park has switched from a gloomy and hostile experience to one of pure joy and optimism, something the 60,000 strong support have not felt since the days of Alan Shearer and Sir Bobby Robson.

While there is obviously still a long way to go before Newcastle are challenging for Champions League and Premier League titles, and with the new owners looking to spend big that will likely happen in the future. However, the positive feel around the club since Howe’s arrival is something Newcastle’s fans or its super-rich owners could not have put a price on.

Howe has brought hope and positivity back to football in the Northeast, he has awoken the sleeping giant that is Newcastle Football Club, and despite all that is talked about behind the scenes with the club, it cannot be understated that their best signing, by some distance, has been Eddie Howe.