Eddie Howe has been vindicated for the majority of choices he has made as Newcastle manager, and a decision the manager made last January has now proved to pay dividends.
Gradually preparing Lewis Hall for first team football on his loan spell, persisting with Jacob Murphy, dropping Martin Dubravka for Nick Pope in the Carabao Cup final. There are many decisions that Howe has been proven right for making despite skepticism from the outside.
His hands-on approach has seen him make decision after decision that has ultimately seen this group outperform what was expected given the squad’s lack of depth.
Injuries could have put us in a worrying position the last few months, but decisions from the gaffer have ensured we have continued at our best – and one player that Howe fought to keep in January has paid off the manager with a good patch of form, which he has now been praised for by the man who is back in the dugout.
Howe pays tribute to Trippier
Kieran Trippier was subject to a £15m bid from Bayern in January last year. Some members of the board thought it was time to cash in on the veteran, but Howe won a ‘political battle’ to keep the 34-year-old, according to The Chronicle.
Trips has been the unsung hero in our recent impressive run of six Premier League wins in seven, plus the small matter of a cup final win, where he was instrumental in settling us down early and helping us over the line against Liverpool.
Our starting right-back during that excellent run has rightly received high praise from his manager, who had this to say after Trippier’s two assists on Saturday:
“I don’t think there are many players like him in the Premier League,” said Howe. “It is a real testament to his ability and his physical ability, to do what he does at his age is not easy.
“He is playing in one of the hardest positions to execute. His cross for the second goal just sums up his quality for us.
”He is the difference maker and has obvious qualities on the ball and with his leadership skills.”
Could he stay another season?
Unlike Callum Wilson, who has been told he will have to earn a contract extension through his performances before the end of the season, Kieran Trippier still has 12 months left on his deal.
As a veteran voice in the changing room and on the pitch there is no doubt of Trippier’s worth, and the Ipswich game proved the man still has plenty to give from dead ball situations as he provided Will Osula with his first Premier League goal from an inswinging right-sided corner.
Trippier also launched the ball into the back post for Dan Burn to grab his first league goal of the season, and it’s clear that the manager wants him to stay around.
Howe asked if he hopes to keep him: “It goes without saying. We want to keep our best players and add to the squad if possible, that’s a big thing.”
