‘Who knows?’ - Newcastle United chief agrees with Paul Merson over Eddie Howe

Newcastle United chief Darren Eales and pundit Paul Merson are in agreement over Eddie Howe. We are now coming up to the one year anniversary of Howe’s appointment as Newcastle boss, arriving to replace Steve Bruce in what was a signal of a new era under the new ownership group.

As always in football, Howe’s impact was not immediate, but he did manage to strengthen Newcastle’s back line significantly before getting help in the January window. The Magpies enjoyed a fine finish to last season, and they have started this season excellently, now in the top four, albeit some of the sides below them have a game in hand. New signings have certainly helped, but Howe has done an excellent job of taking Newcastle forward over the last year.

And that’s something pundit Merson recently recognised, telling the Daily Star: “Eddie Howe has got something about him. He let me come into one of his team meetings down at Bournemouth a few years ago and I was so impressed with the message he got across to his players.

“Miguel Almiron has been brilliant this season and that’s where you see good, good managers. When they improve players. Who knows what can happen? It’s a season like no other.”

Interestingly, Newcastle’s executive officer Eales has also spoken about Howe’s influence, saying: “In everything Eddie’s done since he’s come in, it’s been about developing players. It’s not just about spending money and bringing in players from outside.

“What he’s done with the core of that squad (he inherited) has just gone from strength to strength. You’ve seen the development from last season. It was amazing to finish where we did, but with a pre-season of working with the players, we’ve kicked on again in terms of style of play.”

Howe signed a new long-term contract with the Magpies during the summer.