Eddie Howe and his Magpies side prepare to take the next step in their evolution in 2022/23 after a fine finish to the last campaign
2021/22 was a rollercoaster season for Newcastle United supporters. The campaign started with very little optimism. Steve Bruce and his team struggled in the Premier League, slipping to the bottom of the table, and the toxic cloud hanging over former owner Mike Ashley's tenure at the club showed no signs of dissapating. That was until October when the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia officially completed its takeover of the club, ending what was, in the eyes of many supporters, years of stagnation and decline around the playing staff and the overall infrastructure of the organisation.
In the light of the Saudi takeover, former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe came on board, bringing his talented assistant Jason Tindall with him. Results started to turn almost immediately as the young, dynamic English coach began to work his magic on a squad which had seemingly been treading water under his predecessor. Things looked even more rosy in January when the club brought in several key signings to bolster their ranks. New Zealand international Chris Wood joined from Burnley, Aston Villa full back Matt Targett arrived on loan, and local lad Dan Burn came in from Brighton. Perhaps the two most eye-catching arrivals were England international Kieran Tripper joining from Atletico Madrid and highly touted midfielder Bruno Guimaraes's signing from Lyon.
Needless to say, the January signings had an impact. A combination of Howe's coaching and his ability to get more out of the existing squad, coupled with the new owners splashing the cash in the transfer market saw, Newcastle go from being a team seemingly destined for relegation to one finishing comfortably mid table in 11th.
It's important to remember that even after the Saudis took over, there was no guarantee that Newcastle would stay up. There were still a lot of question marks in the beginning and it was a project which could easily have gone awry without the correct stewardship. Eddie Howe deserves immense credit for what he achieved in the second half of last season, regardless of money spent.
Now Newcastle embark on Howe's first full season in charge, with all of those players previously mentioned, and several more joining them in the summer transfer window. England goalkeeper Nick Pope joins his former Burnley teammate Chris Wood at St. James' and the very highly rated Dutch centre back Sven Botman has been brought in from Lille. The new owners continue to stamp their authority on the market as they hope to build Howe a squad with which he may well be able to use to push for bigger things.
Revolutionising a football club doesn't happen overnight, but anyone who remembers the journey Manchester City went on will feel that Newcastle are heading for big things. It may take five years, it may take ten years, but Newcastle fans should be excited about the prospect of playing elite European football again and competing for trophies in the near future. Their new owners are assembling a fantastic squad, they have appointed a top coach and all looks well on Tyneside.
We wanted to get the insiders viewpoint on how things are unfolding at St. James' Park. Are we being too optimistic as outsiders? Are we piling on the pressure by talking about Europe and trophies? We once again got a few words from Kris Wallace of Gallowgate Shots and The Overlap fame, as well as several of the guys from The Magpie Group, to see how Newcastle fans feel about the takeover, the squad and their chances of success this season.
Here's what they had to say:
Q. How would you summarise the impact which the new ownership had on the second half of last season?
Davey (The Magpie Group): Incredible. We always knew toon fans are the best in England and can create an amazing atmosphere but the love, momentum and positivity is something that’s even surprised us older fans.
Q. How big a role did Eddie Howe play in turning things around when he arrived?
Kris (Gallowgate Shots): The role that Eddie Howe played is there for everyone to see, Newcastle United were destined for relegation and were quickly becoming the bookies favourites alongside Norwich to be playing Championship football the following season. Eddie took over from Steve Bruce and we witnessed improvements almost instantly on the field, it took a little while to see the first victory of the season but once we got that first one in the bag, the momentum grew and Eddie Howe created a team philosophy which challenged in every game.
Q. What do you make of the signings brought in last January? Who among them do you see having long term futures at the club?
David (The Magpie Group): The media were keen to undermine those that came in, but most fans were delighted with the impact that all of the signings made in varying ways. A very encouraging indication of our new recruitment team. As the youngest of the newcomers by a few years, and probably the most talented, Bruno G will hopefully stay the longest providing we can keep him interested in the long term NUFC "project".
Q. So far this summer, Nike Pope and Sven Botman have arrived, with Matt Targett making his move permanent. What do you think of the business done by the club so far?
Kris (Gallowgate Shots): We have quickly realised that Newcastle, the richest club in the world as the media insist on calling us, will now be linked with every single player under the sun, many of which will use United to their own advantage when negotiating new contracts at the current clubs - we have to expect this now. The business which we have done so far is remarkable with hopefully more to come through the door. Making Matt Targett's move a permanent one was an absolute no brainer, one which many fans were more than pleased with, he dominated and owned that left back position as soon as he arrived. We've created competition in the number one spot by brining in an England international to the squad who will more than challenge Martin Dubravka for that starting spot, which I honestly think can go in any direction at this moment in time. The cherry on top of the cake has to be the arrival of the highly sought after Dutchman Sven Botman, the guy looks like an absolute power house and is a welcome addition to an already fairly solid defensive line in Fabian Schar and Dan Burn. It's no doubt that Botman will walk into this team and I'm unbelievably excited to see how well he performs in the Premier League.
Q. Are there any areas of the pitch which still need reinforcing in order for the team to push on? What's the priority in terms of bringing in more players?
Danny (The Magpie Group): I’d say striker and winger. We lack goals. Only when Wilson is fit do we look an attacking threat but the issue is he’s rarely that. We need goals from the wide areas too, Maxi needs to step it up this season but another player on the opposite flank could potentially aid him in this, plus bring their own goals and assists to the team.
Q. As Howe prepares for his first full pre-season at the club, which members of the team can thrive the most under his style?
Kris (Gallowgate Shots): I don't think its necessarily about playing style but more along the lines of how he can get the most out of players who were under-coached by the previous coaching staff. We saw the sudden improvement of players like Ryan Fraser, Jonjo Shelvey, Fabian Schar and most of all Joelinton who was rightfully chosen as Newcastle United's player of the season. Eddie is the right man for this sudden rebuild at Newcastle United and I honestly believe he has the potential to take this club to the next level. Whether that be by challenging for a European spot or reaching a final of one of the domestic cups, Eddie Howe shall get us there.
Q. With talk of signings left and right, it might not be the easiest time to break through as a youngster at Newcastle but do you see any academy players getting a chance to progress this term? If so, who are they?
Danny (The Magpie Group): Elliot Anderson. Young striker that’s basically become an adopted Geordie and scored for fun for the under 18’s and 23’s. I think he needs a shot but when and where is a different proposition entirely. If we don’t manage to get another striker in then why not put him on the bench, bring him on if we’re ahead in games, get some minutes under his belt and see what the lad can do. I get the impression he’s chomping at the bit to be involved and if that’s the case he may have a point to prove. Hopefully he does.
Q. Taking into account the dire state the team was in during the Ashley years and juxtaposing that with the arrival of the new owners, what would you say are your realistic but optimistic hopes and expectations for this coming season?
Kris (Gallowgate Shots): We finished the season well, with a run of nine games undefeated prior to that. If we pick up where we left off we can improve once again. We have to remember that this is a rebuild, not a click of the fingers fix to correct the failings of the previous ownership. Newcastle failed to win any of the starting 14 fixtures last time out, so surely we will improve on that horrendous run of form from the get go. Like many fans I will be hopeful of staying clear of any form of relegation scrap which we have became accustomed to during previous seasons. A solid start and a comfortable top ten finish and that's a sign of improvement for this club. Do we want to challenge for a cup? Of course, and I would expect the owners would be pushing for that, they'd be ecstatic over breaking that cup misery. Top ten and a cup final, that's what I would love to see as a fan.
Newcastle fans will be more than excited for the start of the new Premier League season, and to see their side take on Nottingham Forest at St. James' Park on August 6. Before that, The Magpies are playing a series of friendlies, including games in Austria and Portugal against 1860 Munich, Mainz and Benfica. It will be a fairly tough start for Eddie Howe's side as they face Manchester City and Liverpool inside their first five Premier League games. Nonetheless, fans have more reason to be optimistic than ever on Tyneside right now.
We want to feature fans like you!
For more fan-centric content like this, as well as daily football news and updates, please go ahead and follow Sporticos on Twitter. We want to interview leaders, influencers, representatives and most of all fans, to get their perspectives on the clubs they love. This content is really important to us and we hope you will continue to support it with likes, retweets and all that good stuff. If you want to contribute your thoughts about your club, please do get in touch.
Stay up-to-date with all things football at Sporticos
We provide data, stats and analysis of games from across the world; a comprehensive TV guide which tells you exactly when and where you can watch your favourite teams in action; trusted, legal sources of live streaming, breaking news and so much more.
Check out our football live streams and football predictions.
