5 ways that Newcastle United’s season has been transformed under Eddie Howe

NEWCASTLE: It’s all about the money, they said. Newcastle United will “buy” themselves out of trouble. Well, Eddie Howe’s Magpies are week-by-week going some way to disproving that Premier League theory.

No team in world football spent more than the Magpies in the January transfer window, as head coach Howe’s strengthening was backed by the funding of majority shareholders, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

However, to point toward finance and rich owners only tells a fraction of the story of what has been happening at Newcastle United in 2022.

Here we take a look at what’s occurred behind the scenes at St. James’ Park, and at the club’s training pitches at Benton, to ensure transfer expenditure has been the cherry on top, rather than the foundations that underpin what has proved to be a miraculous turnaround in fortunes.

1. The return of belief and confidence

One win in 21 games kicked off Newcastle United’s Premier League campaign — and no side has ever remained in the top flight having opened up a top-flight season so poorly.

Not averse to making a bit of history, Howe’s Magpies are currently on course to become the one and only side to do just that.

But how have Newcastle gone from relegation fodder to comfortable in mid-table with such consummate ease? A lot of that is down to the positivity brought to the football club by the head coach and the team around him.

When Howe walked through the door, so did a wave of optimism, fresh ideas and hard work. He was the antithesis of the man he replaced, Steve Bruce.

Gone were the days of endless chatter at press conferences about the “quality of the opposition” and in its place a focus on what Newcastle can do, what will be achieved and some positive