NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has played down talk of a top half Premier League finish.
Wednesday night’s win over Crystal Palace meant goal difference is the only factor keeping Newcastle outside of the top flight’s top 10.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround since Howe took charge in November, with the Magpies claiming nine wins in their last 13 games to lift themselves from likely relegation fodder to the prospect of seeing out their final five games safe in the knowledge they’re destined for unexpected mid-table mediocrity.
And while Geordie eyes are fixed on how high the team might finish this season — and barely containing their excitement about what next season might bring — Howe is maintaining his calm, measured approach to life in the top job on Tyneside.
“I think it’s just game by game,” Howe, who took over the team when they were 19th in the table, five points from safety, said after Wednesday’s win. “It’s a very quick turnaround to the next game but we’ll try to go to Norwich and win the game. We have a very difficult run-in. It’s great that we’ve got the points we have at this moment.”
In beating Patrick Vieira’s Eagles, Howe made a little bit of history at United. No manager since Sir Bobby Robson, and the days of the Champions League anthem being played at St. James’ Park, has won six home games on the bounce.
Howe is flattered his name is even being mentioned in the same sentence as Robson, a Geordie legend, who also managed Ipswich, England, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and PSV Eindhoven.
Howe said: “That feels amazing. You look back at the start of the run, we just wanted a win, never mind thinking of six. We managed to get those important wins and build a really good feeling here.
“It’s incredible, because you’re talking about an absolute legend of the football club. He was someone I always admired from afar greatly for everything he achieved in the game. He’s the benchmark for anything you try to do here.”
Making it seven, as Robson’s Newcastle did back in 2004, will be tough, given quadruple-chasing Liverpool are next up at St. James’ Park a week on Saturday.
Howe continued: “There is a very good relationship between the supporters and the players, a great atmosphere to play in. It was electric, especially during the first-half, when I thought we played very well. It’s great to see us playing with a bit more composure and flair. That changed in the second-half and (we) showed a different side. It’s great that we’ve got the capability to adapt our game.”
Paraguayan forward Miguel Almiron was the match winner for Newcastle on the night, his 32nd-minute strike enough to see all three points remain on Tyneside.
Howe had tasked the former Newcastle record buy with cementing a place in the side, having played a bit-part role for much of the campaign to date. And with his last two performances, Howe believes Almiron has done exactly that.
“He was excellent, he really was. He’s someone we’ve always liked,” said Howe, whose side take on Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.
“We had a team that was settled and doing very well, so he found it difficult to get in but that didn’t change the way we think about him. He’s had a chance now in the team and I thought his goal today epitomized his performance — pace to get in behind and then what a finish. That’s something he’s worked incredibly hard on behind the scenes. He got his reward with that goal.”
