Eddie Howe‘s first year as Newcastle United manager is set to come to an end, and what a year it has been.
He was appointed as Steve Bruce’s replacement on November 8th 2021, taking the club over when they were 19th in the Premier League table.
On November 8th 2022, Newcastle will be third in the Premier League table.
It has been a remarkable turnaround orchestrated by Howe, whose side are one of the best in England right now. 2022 has been a sensational year for the Magpies, and it is largely down to the work of the manager.
The investment has played its part, with new players making a huge difference. However, they need to be coached. And it’s not like Newcastle have bought an entire new team. Howe still has a lot of the players who he inherited one year ago.
The 44-year-old has been a revelation at St James’ Park, and this is hopefully the first of many years as Toon manager.
But how exactly did he convince the Newcastle owners to give him the job? Well, he has provided some information on the High Performance Podcast.
How Howe got the Newcastle job
Howe is the latest guest on Jake Humphrey’s High Performance Podcast. The former Bournemouth hero went into detail on how he sold himself to the new owners at Newcastle and eventually convinced them to give him the keys to the club.
“My unique selling point, if you want to call it that, what I think I do best is coach and develop players,” he said.
“So I was very strong that if I’m able to manage the team and the club that I will continue to coach and develop players – that will never go from my DNA. It’s something I believe so passionately about. And I think I’m good at it.
“That was my main push. And around that is the style of football, how I see the team playing, what style of football I want to bring to Newcastle and that’s fundamental to the board and the supporters – what they’re going to see, what product they’re going to watch.”
We’re lucky Unai Emery said no
While Howe was the man who got the Newcastle job, it was very nearly someone else. Amanda Staveley and co’s first choice was actually Unai Emery, the man who has just taken over at Aston Villa.
It was reported that Emery was going to be Newcastle’s new manager, only for the Spaniard to then turn down a move to St James’ Park.
After that, the Toon hierarchy turned to their second choice – Eddie Howe. On the High Performance Podcast, he admitted that he wasn’t worried about being second choice, and said that Emery would have been his first choice too given his reputation.
But Newcastle got lucky with Emery saying no. He may have been a good manager for the Magpies, but the job that Howe has done has been out of this world. And he has stayed true to the blueprint he posed back when he was interviewed.
His DNA of improving players hasn’t wavered. If anything it has been the foundation for our success. The likes of Joelinton and Miguel Almiron have improved immensely under Howe’s management.
That was an exciting selling point for the Newcastle owners, as it meant they could trust Howe to work with what he’s got rather than buy a completely new team with the club’s newfound riches.
Players are getting better and we’re producing good football. And it’s allowed Howe to take Newcastle from 19th to third in the space of a year. Wow.
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