My message to Eddie Howe on his one year anniversary at Newcastle United

What a year it’s been, eh?

This time last year, Newcastle United were cemented in the bottom three with a paltry five points to our name and no wins. We were only above woeful Norwich City on goal difference.

Fast-forward 365 days and we’re sitting pretty in third with 27 points, a goal difference of +17 and only one (undeserved) defeat under our belt. There’s no doubt the takeover and the players we’ve bought have elevated us, but we have to give so much credit to one man: Edward John Frank Howe.

It’s funny to look back and see that so many pundits thought it would be a disastrous appointment. His predecessor called him the man that got Bournemouth relegated.

Well, thank goodness we brought in the man that got Bournemouth relegated instead of sticking with him, eh?

Our other main option was Steven Gerrard, a man who took a well-performing Villa side to the brink of the relegation zone this season. An unpractised manager was hailed as the saviour of Newcastle United. They were having a laugh.

Even with Unai Emery on the table, who started life at Villa perfectly at the weekend, I think Howe was the only person who could have kept us up. He had experience in avoiding relegation with threadbare squads. He had a career break post-Bournemouth where he studied the art of coaching and management to improve himself beyond what anyone could have expected.

The impact he’s had on our existing players has been sensational. Non-NUFC supporters, journalists and pundits like to talk about the money we’ve spent in Howe’s two transfer windows, but they ignore the outrageous improvements in players like Joelinton, Schar, Almiron, Willock and more.

They ignore the fact that he’s got us playing to our existing players’ strengths. No longer are Almiron and Wilson, two outstanding forwards, camped in their own half. Instead, he’s unleashed them and given them the freedom to do what they do best.

We’ve also not been silly in our recruitment. Howe has worked with the owners to identify areas that we needed to strengthen. Our defence is pretty new-look, because it was in the pits when he took over. We finally have another proven goalscorer alongside Wilson, who has an incredible goal return but struggles with fitness.

As well as improving players’ performances, the impact he’s had on attitude and the team spirit is unrivalled. We’ve seen players in the pits during our two recent relegation seasons be revived by Rafa and Chris Hughton, but this mindset change might just blow them out of the water.

The dressing room photos were a Howe thing. He did it at Bournemouth and they bring so much joy to us – and, enjoyably, generate so much salt from opposition supporters.

You can see the joy in the faces of the players in those photos. When we score. When we finish a game and they come and applaud the support. The atmosphere in and around the team is jubilant.

We have a team of leaders, a team high in confidence and a team playing smart, fluid football.

We need to give credit where it’s due across the board. Stavely, Ghodoussi, the Reuben brothers, and each individual player deserve a lot of credit for the improvement in mood and results. But ultimately the man behind it all is Eddie Howe.

I was told by a Villa supporter, after we’d battered them 4-0, that Howe wasn’t the man to take us to great heights. This won’t last. He’s not good enough. All I could do was laugh.

Because all the opinions about Howe from outside those who support or are affiliated with the club were wrong. And this one will be wrong too.

Here’s to many more years of Eddie Howe.