The start of the season was a torrid time for Geordies, even though there was the speculation of the new ownership being completed to finally release the club from the unwanted grasp of Mike Ashley.
Steve Bruce was sacked on the 20th October when it looked as if the club was destined for relegation, where Graeme Jones took over as interim head coach.
Many fans and pundits predicted that a superstar manager would be brought in but this was not the case. Instead, Eddie Howe, a proven top flight manager who had previously achieved success with Bournemouth, getting them into the top flight and keeping them up for 5 seasons.
In January, they spent big, as they were expected to do in their first window under new owners. A reported total of £80 million was used to bring in 5 new players to bolster the squad.
Bruno Guimares, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier were all added to the side in hopes to boost the performances that had been consistently below par, and that is exactly what they have done.
It wasn’t until the Toon had played 20 games that they climbed out of the relegation zone after being well rooted since the start of the season.
A controversial loss to Chelsea saw a 9 game unbeaten run come to an end, a feat not achieved since the 2002-03 season.
This result leaves them sitting comfortably in 14th place, with 31 points after 28 games. Howe’s side are certainly looking up the table rather than over their shoulders and with 10 games left to be played, it will be very interesting to see how they fare come May.
The club is one of the biggest in English football history and one with a fan base that deserves so much more than they have had in the recent years under Ashley.
Looking towards next season, the club will be looking to bolster their squad further. With a whole summer to rebuild and implement his thoughts and ideas, as well as owners that are not shy to put their hands in their pockets, it will be very interesting to see how long it takes before Eddie Howe is winning trophies…
Posted 15th March
