Following in Sir Bobby Robson's footsteps, Eddie Howe is Newcastle's latest great manager

It’s a rare sight to see football fans celebrating outside their ground when mired in the relegation zone, yet to win a game all season.

But on 7th October 2021, Newcastle fans descended on St James’ Park for an all-out party, as 14 years of Mike Ashley rule was brought to an end, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund ushering in a new era.

Of course, there was jubilation that a much-maligned owner was departing, but the PIF’s investment in the club was no mere change in ownership, but a cast-iron guarantee of long-overdue success.

While success was inevitable, nobody quite knew when – or how – it would arrive, but a change in the dugout one month later was the first big step.

Eddie Howe was installed as head coach shortly after the takeover, but it’d be another month before Newcastle would get their first Premier League win of the season. Prior to that first win, Newcastle had drawn seven and lost seven of their first 14 games, rooted to the foot of the table.

For all the guarantees of success, Newcastle were facing the prospect of being relegated to the Championship.

The Magpies were winless in their next five games but shrewd operating in the transfer market would steer them away from trouble. Chris Wood, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier all arrived in the January but it was the addition of Bruno Guimaraes that proved to be the difference-maker.

In terms of goals and assists, Guimaraes’s numbers looked very ordinary, and £35m was no small fee to fork out for a midfielder who seemingly didn’t contribute to goals. But what the Brazilian did bring was a relentless energy, a fierce combativeness and a never-say-die attitude that would make him an instant hit on Tyneside.

A superb second half of the season saw Newcastle finish 11th, safely in mid-table. In fact, from the turn of the year, only three teams took more points than Newcastle.

The Magpies would strengthen further in the summer, with Nick Pope and Sven Botman joining, but Alexander Isak was the club’s marquee signing, arriving for £63,000,000 from Real Sociedad. Isak would vie with Callum Wilson for the spot as the club’s starting centre forward, though injuries to both meant neither spent much time on the bench.

Wilson and Isak combined for 28 goals that season, but it was Howe’s industrious midfield that would see them return to the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal cast-off Joe Willock, academy graduate Sean Longstaff and struggling centre forward Joelinton combined for 89 Premier League starts in the Toon’s engine room, supported by the talismanic Guimaraes, while Miguel Almiron had become an undroppable member of the side.

Eddie Howe possesses the second-best win record of all Newcastle United managers (minimum 100 matches).

For all the Saudi money, this was a team built on hard work. Their signings weren’t done on the cheap, but there was a distinct lack of glitz and glamour about them. Newcastle weren’t signing big-name players; they were signing players who could all be counted on to do a job and, to a man, they did.

After a 20-year absence, Newcastle were rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite once again. Fans were divided on the group stage draw that pitted Newcastle against Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Milan.

While most relished the three mouth-watering trips, others hoped for a gentler re-introduction to Europe, knowing the trio could quickly bring their eagerly anticipated European journey to a premature end.

After 18 months of progress, the 2023/24 campaign was full of highs and lows. The highs included the opening-day win over Aston Villa, the 3-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the EFL Cup and the 4-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain.

But the lows were plentiful. A win at home to Milan would’ve seen Newcastle through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League but despite leading for half an hour, the Toon would lose and even miss out on the Europa League.

There would be no repeat push for the UEFA Champions League, either. Across the winter, they’d lose six out of seven league games, and owing to Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City, they’d miss out on a UEFA Conference League spot for the following campaign.

However, while it might not have felt like it at the time, avoiding the UEFA Conference League may have been a blessing in disguise for Newcastle.

While the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham have all struggled to varying degrees, Howe has been able to keep his squad fresh; there were no repeats of last winter’s struggles, winning six on the bounce this time between 14th December and 15th January, catapulting them from the bottom half to the top four, and since 14th December, only Liverpool have taken more points than Newcastle.

Aside from the strong league form, Howe has been able to do something that even the great Sir Bobby Robson couldn’t: bring silverware to Tyneside.

Newcastle went to the Emirates and beat Arsenal 2-0, doing the same in the second leg to secure another trip to Wembley, then going on to comfortably beat the best team in the country in Liverpool to win the EFL Cup.

While finally lifting a trophy meant so much to so many, securing a place in the UEFA Champions League brings with it the financial rewards, the memorable nights under the lights and the ability to attract a different calibre of player that could lead to more silverware in the years to come.

While the Saudi spending hasn’t been quite in the same league as Chelsea’s under Roman Abramovich or Manchester City under Sheikh Mansour, it wouldn’t be accurate to say Newcastle’s success has come on a shoestring budget.

But as we’ve seen with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in recent years, the man in the dugout is as important as any man in the boardroom.

After the likes of Frank Watt, Stan Seymour, Joe Harvey, Kevin Keegan and Robson, Newcastle fans spent nearly 20 years waiting for their next great manager.

In Eddie Howe, they’ve finally found one.

Liam Williams

• Newcastle United F.C.
• Premier League
• UEFA Champions League
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