There has been a lot of changes at Newcastle United this summer, one of which has delighted Eddie Howe.
It has been a challenging few months for the Newcastle United manager. Howe made one of his hardest decisions ever in selling Elliot Anderson, while his departure was quickly followed by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi exiting Newcastle United.
There has also been the arrival of Paul Mitchell as sporting director, and he has certainly ruffled feathers on Tyneside. Mitchell failed to make any major signings during the summer transfer window, while the fallout resulted in an interview that created more controversy.
But while it appears to have been a tough start to Howe and Mitchell’s relationship at St James’ Park, the Toon boss has heaped praise on a decision that the sporting director made shortly after his arrival.
Eddie Howe really pleased to have James Bunce at Newcastle United
Following Mitchell’s appointment as Dan Ashworth’s successor, it was announced that James Bunce was also joining the club as performance director.
Bunce, who worked alongside Mitchell before at Monaco, was brought in to ‘drive an elite performance culture and cohesive approach’ and provide support for the performance, medical, sports science, nutrition and psychology teams at Newcastle United.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference before facing Wolves, Eddie Howe was asked about the work Bunce has done since his arrival at St James’ Park.
“Yeah, James has worked really well,” he said.
“I have to say I think he’s been impressive. Since he came in, he’s very passionate, hard working, and bold. He’s been involved from the very start of the planning phase of training to the execution.
“He gives us really detailed analysis afterwards as well, so I think he’s been a great addition to the team.”
Training has changed at Newcastle United
Howe is happy with the impact that Bunce has had since his arrival at Newcastle United, and the appointment of the former Southampton employee has coincided with a change to the way that the Magpies train.
According to the Daily Mail, Bunce has instructed Howe to reduce the intensity of his training sessions with the view to decreasing the amount of injuries.
That sums up Bunce’s remit. He is in charge of increasing the players’ availability and ensuring they are capable of playing to their absolute best.
It is forcing Howe to change his ways, but it should be to the benefit of his team.
Whether that has coincided with Newcastle’s sluggish start to the season remains to be seen, but there has been a lack of intensity in some of the Magpies’ performances.
However, it is vital that Newcastle reduce the amount of injuries they get, as fitness issues completely derailed the previous campaign. Bunce is working towards that end, and Howe is happy with his contribution so far.
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