Howe possesses right ideas to take United forward
BOSS WILL PUT HIS STAMP ON TEAM, CLAIMS ELPHICK
NEWCASTLE United could look a different outfit in possession this season as Eddie Howe really “puts a stamp” on his side.
That is according to former Bournemouth captain Tommy Elphick, who has kept a close on eye on how the head coach has transformed Newcastle’s fortunes after working with Howe for several years on the south coast.
Rather than merely copying what he previously did at Bournemouth, Howe was conscious of the need to evolve and adapt to the players at his disposal after taking charge of a winless group low on confidence last November.
There was also the small matter of the intense pressure Newcastle were under down at the bottom as they scrapped for every point.
Instead of making radical changes, Howe focused on fundamentals such as setpieces, his side’s fitness and making the Magpies a more streetwise outfit out of possession.
It was only once safety was assured the shackles came off a little bit.
Howe hoped the 3-0 win at Norwich City in April was a “glimpse of the future” after Newcastle’s “confidence on the ball was high”.
Newcastle went on to produce their best performance of the season, a 2-0 victory against Arsenal, a few weeks later which will serve as the benchmark moving forward.
With the players now back in for preseason, Howe has spoken about how “we want to see the team play in hopefully a good way so this training now is about trying to develop the team and how we want to play the game”.
Howe has long wanted an extended period of time to work with the group and this will be the first time the majority of these players have experienced a pre-season under him.
Elphick, who remains in contact with his former manager, has no doubt it will be a crucial five weeks for all concerned.
The former Cherries’ skipper told The Chronicle: “Last season took me back to when Eddie first came in here at Bournemouth.
“He started off with his strong principles and he just built on them as we went along and when it went wrong he would strip it back.
“I feel like he’s done that at Newcastle. He’s gone in there and just given them a clear way of playing that’s quite simple and has them working hard and together.
“There’s been a slight improvement every week and he will take that on through the summer and really put a stamp on it going into next season.
“When he came in at Bournemouth it was built around that hard work and togetherness.
“Out of possession we just worked really hard at it and it was not until we got good at it that we started layering on the in-possession stuff.”