Eddie Howe will have been dreaming of all three points as the curtain raised on his Newcastle tenure. That wasn’t to be the case though after Brentford frustrated the Magpies, drawing 3-3 at St James’ Park.
After what turned out to be a toxic end and decline for Steve Bruce at Newcastle with the supporters, they’re now ecstatic to see a change in the dugout and the routines at the club.
That feeling of positive change has been echoed by the players themselves, with Allan Saint-Maximin being full of praise for the new gaffer just ten days into his tenure at St James’ Park.
How the Toon Army reacted
“After just 10 days Allan Saint-Maximin is already saying that Howe is a great coach!” @TheScottyDog
“Think Howe has gotten the best out of him [Joelinton] on the training ground. A fortnight after Bruce and he looks a different player, whatever he’s been doing, keep doing it.” @davidikon76
“I have been genuinely wondering what the hell was going on in training before Howe arrived. That looked a different team #nufc!” @xocnaheel
“You could tell they’ve been training with Eddie Howe. Different mentality on the pitch today which was good to see.” @ataylor1892
“I think I might be wrong about Howe. I’ve seen his first training session and I was really impressed with how much different and more knowledgeable he is to Bruce.” @GEORDIEJOHN1982
“Eddie Howe impressed Newcastle fans more in 90 mins than what Steve Bruce did in almost three years and Eddie wasn’t even at the game!” @jaden_pudlich9
It’s obvious the love the Newcastle fans have for Howe already after the bitter fallout with Bruce. Although he is already an improvement to the previous regime, Howe needs further improvements and fast.
Newcastle are still the only team in the Premier League without a win to their name and they’re falling even further away from safety. If Howe can keep the upwards trajectory going on the pitch however, and with some good signings in January to boot, then there is still hope the Magpies can more than survive.