Callum Wilson is already noticing the difference at Newcastle since Eddie Howe joined.
The 43-year-old was confirmed as Steve Bruce’s replacement last week, signing a two-and-a-half year deal with the Magpies.
Howe has had most of the international break to work with his new players, including some familiar faces.
The new Toon boss previously worked with Wilson, Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser at Bournemouth, and the trio will have known what to expect ahead of his arrival.
Fans have been impressed with Howe. Arriving early made him a hit, and his decision to make the players train at St James’ Park on Saturday went down a storm.
But what have the players made of Howe so far? Newcastle’s number nine has spoken to the Chronicle and highlighted the key difference between Howe’s and Bruce’s training sessions.
“Right now though the new owners see him as the perfect fit and it’s been a great week,” Wilson told the Chronicle.
“The transition has been great with the new manager.
“Training has a lot more intensity.”
‘Intensity’ increase is essential at Newcastle
Training was clearly an issue during Bruce’s tenure. You’ve been able to see this season that the players aren’t fit enough. Against West Ham and Tottenham we started brilliantly only to collapse amid the lack of energy.
It was reported that some players weren’t happy with Bruce’s training regime, and felt it was designed to suit the manager rather than the players.
There were allegedly plenty of days off, something that didn’t go down well with supporters – especially when results were poor.
But there appears to have been a total shift in attitude since Howe took over.
Training sessions are intense – much more intense than they previously were according to Wilson. Hopefully the other players are enjoying it as much as Wilson, who already has history with Howe.
We will likely see on Saturday how big an impact Howe has already had. Training has improved, but will the performances? Here’s hoping…
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