Jonjo Shelvey reveals what’s really changed at NUFC since Eddie Howe replaced Steve Bruce

With Newcastle unbeaten in the Premier League since mid-December under Eddie Howe, stalwart midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has revealed in a BBC interview how the new boss has changed attitudes and beliefs in and around the squad.

He reveals that our togetherness has improved, talks about the longer and more ‘intense’ training sessions and also feels we are now playing on the front foot more – something that was evident in the way we controlled large parts of last weekend’s draw at West Ham.

When Howe joined NUFC last November, the club were sitting in the relegation zone, five points adrift of safety and bereft of confidence following a winless start to the season under Steve Bruce.

Yet, fast forward a few months, we have the chance to go 14th in the table should we beat Brentford on Saturday – a game that could send us above the Bees with two games in hand!

Here’s what Shelvey told the BBC about Howe’s impact at the club:

“He just has a real togetherness,”

“The sessions are long, intense, but they’re just benefitting every one of us so we’ve just got to maintain it and keep listening to the gaffer and we’ll get there.

“I just feel like we’re on the front foot more now and there’s a real togetherness in our play, I think you’re starting to see that in the performances.

“There’s a togetherness around the city and there’s a real belief in the dressing room so we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing and worry about ourselves, and I’m sure we’ll climb the table.”

The midfielder also revealed he found the initial training sessions so tiring that he was going to bed at 8pm! We laugh, but it’s clear that fitness levels have also shot up as a result of the hard work Howe demands on the training pitch.

As Newcastle fans, we’ve certainly witnessed in our last few games how Shelvey’s words ring true; with three wins and a draw from four matches, the confidence, fitness levels and team ethos have been there for all to see.

We’ve also seen huge improvement from individual players who were at the club during the Steve Bruce era, such as Joelinton, Joe Willock, Ryan Fraser – and of course Jonjo Shelvey himself, plus the way Howe has integrated our new signings into the team has been highly impressive.

It’s good to know the squad are happy and now looking up the table instead of over their shoulders. Let’s hope we can grab another valuable three points against the struggling Bees on Saturday. HWTL!