Where Newcastle United would be if Eddie Howe managed entire Premier League season

How dare anybody use the £90million spent in January to diminish the achievements of Eddie Howe this season. It is easy to forget the scale of the task at hand for the former Bournemouth man when he waltzed through the door last November.

The 44-year-old took over a side that were second bottom, winless, five points adrift, unfit and devoid of all confidence. Yes, the money spent in the winter helped plug the gaps that had been neglected by the previous regime. When Howe started Matt Ritchie and Jacob Murphy - two wingers - in a flat back four against Manchester City, it signalled to the owners that a pair of full-backs were needed.

A striker and centre-half, too, given the severity of Callum Wilson’s injury and Newcastle’s defensive woes. Chris Wood and Dan Burn arrived but they are hardly the Harlem Globetrotter signings rivals fans would have you believe given the reaction to the Magpies’ surge towards Premier League survival.

An infinite sum of money could not have made Joelinton, Ryan Fraser, Emil Krafth or Fabian Schar transform into the stalwarts they have become in recent months. Four players who were outcasts have all played an integral role in keeping the club in the Premier League. Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock had not performed all season either - until Howe and his coaching staff turned up.

The statistics back the boss up further. While Newcastle sit 14th, they have earned a staggering 38 points in 25 games since his appointment - a rate of 1.52 per game. For context, the Magpies had managed five from 11 fixtures - 0.45 per game - before his arrival.

Had Howe taken charge at the start of the season, and assuming he collected points at the same rate, Newcastle would be joint-seventh with West Ham in the