**Eddie the Eagle: Premier League Manager of the Month ****(February)*

Good day fellow Hivers,

First of all, I must apologise for the deceptive title, we are not here to talk about the legendary British Olympic ski-jumper but an Eddie that soars equally as high...Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe!

Eddie pictured with his backroom team receiving the Premier League MOTM award for February 2022.

As a 35 year old lifelong Newcastle fan, I've seen my fair share of managers/head coaches come and go. Some have brought relative success, while others have overseen disastrous terms in charge and, on two occasions, relegation. With this in mind I want to give my thoughts on how Eddie and his team have managed to dig up one of the richest veins of form for a Newcastle squad since 2011.

A Poisoned Chalice?

To paint the picture of the impact that Howe & his team have had we need to consider where we were when he took over...doomed to relegation! At the time he was appointed, Newcastle were winless and languishing in the relegation zone following their worst start to a Premier League campaign ever under the stewardship of the increasingly unpopular Steve Bruce! Fans and pundits alike saw no other outcome for a squad that was unfit and lacking confidence, quality, desire and organisation.

After a long period of deliberation and many hours of Zoom interviews, the new NUFC custodians had made their choice in former AFC Bournemouth manager - enter Eddie Howe!

The Recovery

If we fast-forward to today, we find a buoyant Newcastle United that is very much in the ascendancy! The team currently sit 14th in the Premier League on 31 points, 10 above the relegation zone. They are undefeated in their last 9 games, having won 7 and drawn two.

So, how has he managed it?

The most important factor in the turnaround in form seems to be the intensity of Howe's training sessions. These have been described by current players as very demanding, both in terms of physical output and the standard of quality expected to be reached by the end of each session. This in turn has made a huge difference to the fitness levels of the squad and in turn, their physical output during a match.

Secondly, we have Eddie's attention to tactics that (unlike the previous head coach) are dynamic and tweaked based on the opposition. If anyone is interested in some of Eddie's tactical analysis I refer you to this video from Eddie's time at Bournemouth.

One of his greatest strengths since taking the job has been to recognise that it was his current playing squad that would need to shoulder the burden of their horrendous start to the campaign and his ability to instill the belief that they could get themselves out of it. The result of this can be seen throughout the squad with recent standout performances by Ryan Fraser, Jonjo Shelvey and the transformation of Joelinton from £40m flop into, in many people's eyes, one of the best performing box to box midfielders in the league.

Joelinton leaps on to the back's of his teammates in celebration

Lastly, we have the signings. It would have been extremely tempting given the club's newfound financial might to spend wildly and hope for the best! On the contrary, the signings made by Howe in his first transfer window have been pragmatic and extremely effective thus far. Newcastle's period of recovery has been earmarked by resilience in defence due to the arrival of a new CB in the shape of the towering 6"7 childhood Newcastle fan Dan Burn, as well as underrated LB Matt Targett from Aston Villa. Perhaps the jewel in crown of our new defensive trio however is England international and La Liga winner last season, Kieran Trippier. The former Atletico Madrid man has brought a sense of solidity and strong leadership to the back four. Add to this the extremely highly touted Brazilian international Bruno Guimaraes and Burnley veteran Chris Wood, who both scored their first goal in last night's victory against a tough Southampton, and it is easy to see the development of a quality squad.

The squad celebrate a 2-1 away victory over Southampton with a team photo

The future

For the first time in the last 15 years the future looks bright for my beloved Newcastle United. While hope for a better and more successful future has sprung from the lucrative takeover headed by the Saudi-led owners consortium, the first step in the recovery of a once proud football has been an important one...stay in the Premier League. Thank you to Eddie Howe and his team for making what looked like a dream a mere two months ago, in to an ever closer reality.

Thank you for your time and enjoy the weekend everyone but most importantly....HOWAY THE LADS!