Newcastle United journalist John Gibson has been giving his thoughts on Eddie Howe and the impact that he has had on the club.
It’s fair to say that when Howe was appointed back in November, he did so with one hand tied behind his back as a result of everything that was going on at the club around him.
The club were still going through changes following the sale to the new owners, while he wasn’t able to bring in any new players for the best part of two months until the January window opened, and during that time, the club were still in the relegation zone and without a win to their name.
Now though, they are one of the more in-form teams in the division and have given themselves every chance of staying in the division despite looking dead and buried a few months ago.
And speaking on NUFC Matters, Gibson put that down to the players and how some of them have been turned around by the influence of Howe in the few months that he’s been here, singling out a number of players that in his mind have come on leaps and bounds in the past few months.
He said: “I’m thinking Eddie Howe, you have done a terrific job here, and here’s why.
“Because all the players that used to be in the side under Bruce etc that we wouldn’t have given the time of day to, like Joelinton; like Fraser, whose body language last season was atrocious; like Schar, who was a walking mistake, but is selected every game now etc; like Shelvey, who was a trundler and is now pinging the ball; these guys who we would be saying should be the first out the door when Newcastle’s revolution happens are now playing consistently well – not one-offs – consistently well, and I think that is a massive plus because this team was full of deadbeats and now they’re not.”
TIF Thoughts on John Gibson’s comments about Eddie Howe at Newcastle United…
Will Eddie Howe keep Newcastle up?
Yes!
No!
It really is a credit to Howe’s man-management skills that he’s been able to motivate and transform these players the way he has.
Take Jonjo Shelvey for instance, who has been accused of being lazy in the past, but since being taken under Howe’s wing has improved to a point where he has become one of the key members of the squad and is at a point where you can’t imagine him out of the side. Or Joelinton who is now putting up impressive performances in midfield having been a flop up front and struggling to put up impressive numbers.
If he is able to keep them up this season, it really should put them in a great position moving forward, knowing that not only will they have the money to advance the team, but also a manager who has shown he’s able to get the best out of the players that he has at his disposal.
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