The good times really are back at Newcastle United, aren’t they?
I barely had time to absorb slaughtering Spurs at home before travelling to Liverpool to see us put Everton into the ground.
It seems crazy that we went through a scoring shortage just two months ago when we’re scoring for fun right now. And one of the best parts of it is that old and new players are blending together perfectly.
Isak is an unbelievable sensation, and I don’t know if I can even put that assist into words. I found myself shouting for players to support him in the ground only to see moments later that he really didn’t need it.
It was a delight to see Jacob Murphy be the one to finish it and duly give Isak all the credit. But let’s not take anything away from him recently – two poacher’s goals and a cracking finish that even he couldn’t believe in the space of five days show yet another player rejuvenated under Howe. It feels extra special when we know he’s a boyhood supporter of the club and was maligned for a long period – he could barely even get into a Steve Bruce side.
Fabian Schär is another player who was in the process of becoming a Bruce reject – at the time, we all knew that was crazy despite his Bruce-induced dip in form, but now, it’s mind-blowing. A true unsung hero of this side, he’s made more interceptions than any other Premier League defence this season and still loves powering our attack forward. And somehow continues on with a blow to the head every couple of weeks. What is he made of?
We of course can’t talk about maligned players who’ve been reborn without a mention of Joelinton. We knew he was being played out of position as a striker, and looked like he had a phobia of the 18-yard box. Now he’s a midfield Hulk with a lethal finish and an outrageous first touch, and his celebrations show how much it all means to him. The slow-mo video of his Spurs goal celebration had me pretty emotional. His passion is incredible.
Then we have three players whose talent was clear, but confidence was low: Miggy, Willock and Longstaff. I’ve been a vocal supporter of Almiron since day one; his arrival allowed Rafa to instantly change our entire style of play and become an attacking team, and I felt a lot of people were too quick to forget that. But how can you show what you’re made of when you’re forced to camp out in your own half and – as a non-striker – shore up the goals that our number 9 – also not a striker – couldn’t put away? Howe has spoken on his work with Miggy, about boosting his confidence and giving him the freedom to do what he can – and what do you know, his talent was once again unleashed.
Willock had an instant impact when he came in on loan and we finally had someone to score those desperately needed goals, but he struggled at the start of the next season. I have a suspicion that those expectations weighed on him heavily, but it doesn’t help when you’re not being properly coached at just 21 years old; a precocious and important age when a footballer needs fine-tuned. He may be scoring fewer goals now, but he’s the engine that powers the team and has evolved into one of the best all-round players I’ve seen. And he’s finally getting the plaudits for it now.
Longstaff’s career has been a rollercoaster so far. He burst onto the scene against Chelsea and looked like a very exciting prospect. This form continued until a nasty knee injury ruled him out for a while. He never quite looked the same under Bruce – but as he confirmed, he wasn’t coached under him. His contributions have gone under the radar this season but we saw the impact laid bare when he was unavailable for Villa; our midfield was overran. And that’s just some of the players that have improved under Howe. They’ve been perfectly complemented by our new additions.
Bruno is the ying to Joelinton’s yang; they feed off each other’s passion and combine to make a devastatingly good pair in midfield. Like Isak and Willock, he looks a complete player. And he brings some of the best vibes to the club we’ve had in years; hearing him yell “VAMOS” after a win is instant serotonin!
Botman, Burn and Trippier have all been sublime additions to our defence. The former is only 23 and is a monster in defence. Burn has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism recently but has had one single bad game (when the entire team did, too) and carved himself out in a role that was completely unnatural to him. Trippier’s leadership is a joy to behold and he’s been in scintillating form recently – he’s the first player who bought into this project and deserves huge amounts of credit for our progress since.
And what can I say about Isak that hasn’t been said before? Clinical, powerful, whip-smart, lightning-fast, and also only TWENTY-THREE. He has the perfect blend of confidence; urging pundits to not take credit away from him, celebrating with passion and an air of knowing just how good he is without tipping over into outright arrogance. Just imagine where we could be right now if he hadn’t been out injured for so long?
And then we have the man behind it all: Edward John Howe. Responsible for dragging so many players out of the holes of self-doubt that Steve Bruce left them in and reigniting their confidence; unleashing the talent we knew they had in them and fine-tuning their games to weed out inconsistencies. Identifying top targets and not only going after them, but elevating them to play the best football of their already great careers. His relentless pursuit of success and obsessive work-rate has been a breath of fresh air and hugely appreciated.
It’s no wonder we’re feeling all warm and fuzzy at the minute.
Best article in months! HWTL x
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