Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been nominated for the February Manager of the Month award. He features alongside Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal and Southampton boss Ralph Hasnhuttl.
The Magpies have not lost a Premier League game in 2022. February in particular was an outstanding month for Howe and his side. They won three and drew once, gaining 10 points from a possible 12.
They defeated Everton, Aston Villa and Brentford last month. In addition, they got a draw away from home at top four challenging West Ham. With only two points dropped from those games, Howe not only deserves the nomination but the award too.
Newcastle are a team transformed thanks to Howe
When the Toon boss arrived in November, they were stuck in the bottom three and winless. They were seen as one of the favourites to go down.
But over three months later and Newcastle have turned it around. They’re 14th in the league and many opinions on their survival hopes have been flipped. The Magpies are now touted as one of the favourites to stay up.
Howe’s arrival has been a big cause for this. The players that he was able to bring in during the transfer window have added quality to his side.
Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier have vastly improved the backline. The defence for a lot of this season has been a real weakness for Newcastle. But it looks as if a lot of those worries have been addressed.
Howe has also brought the best out of the players he already had
Additionally, it’s not just purely been the money they’ve spent. Howe has been able to instil belief into the squad and many of the players that were there when he arrived have greatly benefitted.
Joelinton, Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey have become a force as a midfield three. Their strong performances have meant new boy Bruno Guimaraes has not had much of a sniff on the pitch.
Ryan Fraser is another to have a new lease on life since he arrived. He’s playing his best football in a black and white shirt currently. He’s even been nominated for February’s Player of the Month, a sign of how far he’s come since he played under Steve Bruce.
Howe deserves this award – the transformation of the players has blown some fans away. A few months ago the thought of Newcastle going two months undefeated sounded totally alien.
The results and the individual performances have been some of the best we’ve seen in a long time. The boss deserves acknowledgement for what he’s done at Newcastle and this award would be very fitting.
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