Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe (Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Eddie Howe admits that he has noticed a major change in his Newcastle United side since they slumped to 12th place back in December.
Back then, Howe was subject to some stinging criticism from some fans but stayed cool to deliver the Carabao Cup and is now on the brink of a bigger prize financially in terms of the Champions League for next season. When asked what has changed since that 4-2 defeat at Brentford which cast doubts over the club's progress, Howe said: "Certainly from the early frustrations that we all shared with our performance, it was one of inconsistency where we were performing at the level that we knew we could and it was frustrating.
"We knew players individually were better than they were showing. There were highlights, but it was inconsistent; you never quite knew what we were going to deliver."
Howe also feels the secret to success has to be getting results when the team don't play well - something he'd undoubtedly take at Arsenal today. A victory would not only bag Newcastle's passport to the Champions League ticket but also put them in with a shot of getting second place.
Howe, who hopes to boost his squad in the summer window, said: "The second half of the season has been very, very good in that respect, motivation levels, work-rate, the collective desire to achieve have been there. Now, we haven't always played well, but I think we've seen a real solidity in the team and the run that we've been on, the amount of games that we've had to win to propel ourselves into this position can only come from consistency and then through good attitudes and really collective good spirit amongst the players.
"I think that's been our real development and hopefully that can continue with the two games we have left."