Newcastle United: How Eddie Howe Masterminded The Club’s Champions League Return1 min read
The last time Newcastle were in the Champions League group stage was in the 2002-03 season
Newcastle United have secured a return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, just over 18 months after a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium bought out unpopular owner Mike Ashley.
In October 2021, Newcastle were winless and mired in another relegation battle until Eddie Howe came in to replace Steve Bruce as manager, and guided the club to safety, before a fourth-placed finish this year.
How has the club transformed so dramatically? BBC Sport looks into the key reasons.
Training – ‘intensity is our identity’
One mantra – ‘intensity is our identity’ – adorns the walls at Newcastle’s training base.
When Howe arrived at the club, a number of senior players believed they were not match-fit. The 45-year-old shook up the schedule from the moment he arrived, reducing days off, bringing sessions forward to an earlier start time and setting an example by turning up for work regularly at 6am. Players were soon reporting that they were “shattered” after training.
Howe educated himself after leaving his previous club Bournemouth in 2020, observing a number of football and rugby clubs including Atletico Madrid and Saracens. He also uploaded all of his training drills on to a digital format for maximum efficiency.
During the interview process for the job, he was second choice to Unai Emery, who rejected Newcastle in order to stay with Villarreal before eventually joining Aston Villa. But Howe had already impressed with the detail of his presentation, which included a plan for individual players to help them develop. One of those mentioned was then club-record signing Joelinton.
