Why Warren Barton thinks Eddie Howe already has credibility at Newcastle

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Warren Barton believes Eddie Howe has an immediate advantage after being announced as Newcastle United’s new manager.

The deal was confirmed on Monday afternoon, with Howe agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal with the club.

Now the new manager will get to work with his players, as he looks to find a recipe for success to guide Newcastle out of the relegation zone.

And Barton has told Sky Sports that Howe has an immediate advantage over other possible managers who were linked with the Toon job.

‘They know what to expect’

“He knows three big players in there,” Barton told Sky Sports.

“Ritchie’s a big character, Wilson’s a big player and Fraser. Going into a changing room he hasn’t got to prove anything to three of the main players.

“They know what to expect, they know his expectations are high. I think that gives him some credibility straight away with the players to go forward.

“If it was another coach that came in that doesn’t identify with any of the players, he’d have to get to know them, they’d have to get to know him.

“But with this situation he can go straight into it knowing three players know exactly how he works.”

Barton is right, Wilson and co can massively help Howe at Newcastle

Howe was incredibly successful at Bournemouth, taking them from League Two all the way to the Premier League. And he did it with a core of players who followed him on that journey.

Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Matt Ritchie joined the Cherries in the Championship, and played important roles in winning promotion and then staying in the Premier League.

They know what to expect from Howe. They will already know what to expect from the new manager, and should be able to influence the other Toon players.

As Barton said, Ritchie is a key member of the squad, while Wilson is arguably Newcastle’s most important player. As for Fraser, he’s struggled so far at St James’ Park and will likely be excited by Howe’s arrival, despite his frosty departure from Bournemouth.

The trio will likely have spoken to their teammates about what to expect from Howe, no doubt giving a glowing reference of the new manager.

Howe has a huge job ahead of him. However, the presence of Fraser, Ritchie and Wilson should help the new boss massively in the opening stages of his Toon tenure.