In Eddie Howe, Newcastle United have struck gold.
The Toon hierarchy easily could have gone for style over substance and appointed a major name after they decided to relieve Steve Bruce of his duties at St James’ Park.
But instead they went for Eddie Howe after being so impressed by his pitch to take over as manager and guide the club away from relegation danger. Of course, that was after Unai Emery turned the Magpies down.
That stroke of fortune has led to Newcastle going on an incredible journey with Howe. Just last week we convincingly beat Chelsea and Manchester United, while we were robbed of victory away from home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Howe has done so much in such a short space of time on Tyneside, cementing himself as English football’s brightest coach.
The Toon boss is incredibly forward thinking, and current Newcastle defender Dan Burn has actually likened Howe to a manager he previously worked with before his move to St James’ Park.
Dan Burn compares Eddie Howe to Graham Potter
Burn appeared on The Monday Night Club on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday night (surprisingly), and compared Howe to Graham Potter, who he worked under at Brighton And Hove Albion.
“I would say Brighton was very similar with Potter,” he said.
“I think there are a lot of similarities between Potter and Eddie Howe.
“And I’d say a lot of the things they do now, like passing drills, you will do passing drills but be in a shape. So I would start off at left-back but four passes later I would be right wing, but it was so I know what the gaffer was wanting because he’s stopping it and saying I want that, I don’t want this.
“It’s just drilled into you without you having to think about it.”
Easy to see why Burn has likened the Newcastle manager to Potter
It is easy to see the similarities between Howe and Potter. Neither are big names with flashy reputations, but they have both produced sides that upset the apple cart at the top of the Premier League.
That is exactly what Potter did with Brighton, with his side playing wonderful football at the Amex Stadium. That has then led to Roberto De Zerbi taking the Seagulls even further.
Having played under Howe and Potter, Burn believes there are similarities between the two coaches and how they operate on the training ground.
That ultimately led to Potter getting the Chelsea job, which did not end well for him. However, that was more of a reflection on the situation at Stamford Bridge rather than Potter’s capabilities as a manager.
Howe’s training methods have worked wonders at Newcastle, just like Potter’s did at Brighton. That is why both managers have been successful, and it surely won’t be long before Potter is back in work after his Chelsea disaster.
As for Howe, he is in it for the long haul at St James’ Park.
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