Sean Longstaff has shared what Kieran Trippier tells the Newcastle players in the pre-match huddle

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Sean Longstaff has shared what Kieran Trippier tells the Newcastle United players in the on-pitch huddle leading up to kick-off every game.

Home or away you will always see the Newcastle players gather round in a circle a minute or so before kick-off for one last pep-talk before the game gets underway.

If you’ve ever wondered what was being said in that huddle, well, wonder no more as Sean Longstaff has shared what Kieran Trippier tells the Newcastle players before each game in a fantastic interview with The Athletic.

Newcastle United love a catchphrase

Tripper has a four-word mantra that he tells the players before each game: “Pressure is a privilege.”

Longstaff clarifies what it means, saying: “We’ve had so long of looking at the table after every game and thinking, ‘Where’s the next win coming from?’ and that pressure makes you worried and tense, but this pressure is a privilege.”

I love that. It’s a genius way of turning what could be deemed a negative into a positive and it goes a long way to explaining the mentality that has encapsulated Newcastle since Eddie Howe‘s arrival.

Catchphrases seem to be a huge part of what is going on at Newcastle. It’s like Eddie Howe has learned every tip on how to motivate a team. When he first arrived “evolution not revolution” was a phrase we heard often, then we started to hear “intensity is our identity” and now we know “pressure is a privilege”.

‘Pressure is a privilege’

We know that Howe likes to take his own motivational posters to hang in the away dressing rooms too.

I used to work in a large office and I’d roll my eyes at things like that – motivational messages plastered on the walls, catchphrases, etc. It felt so cheesy and Americanised, but I take it all back, it clearly works, or at least it’s worked at Newcastle. All the players and staff have bought into it and that’s what matters.

So when you see the players huddle up on Thursday before they kick-off at Goodison Park, just take a breath and say to yourself “pressure is a privilege” along with Trippier and all will be well.