Toon’s top 10 Targett
DEFENDER MATT SAYS CLUB IS LOOKING FOR A TOP-HALF FINISH AFTER INCREDIBLE TURNAROUND UNDER HOWE
BORN-AGAIN Newcastle are targeting a top-10 finish this term – and that’s just for starters.
Nine wins from 13 games have banished relegation fears and victory at Norwich tomorrow can catapult the Magpies into the top half of the table, a place they have rarely occupied since the days of Sir Bobby Robson.
And according to defender Matt Targett, that is where they plan to put down roots.
With the club’s Saudi owners ready to bankroll boss Eddie Howe (with Targett, left) again this summer, having already invested £90million during the January transfer window, the Geordies have become one of the Premier League’s most upwardly mobile clubs.
Targett, who is hoping his loan move from Aston Villa becomes permanent, reckons the sky is the limit.
“We have to build on what we’ve achieved this season,” said the full-back, who was outstanding in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace (sealed
by Miguel Almiron’s goal, top). “You never settle for equalling what you’ve just done. This season has to be a stepping stone, and next year we will be pushing not just to finish in the top half but as high as we can.
“We want to send out a message that Newcastle are now a top-10 team. Leicester, West Ham and Wolves have done it and we want to be the next to break into that group.
“But not just for one season, but pushing on every year, getting better all the time. We want to leave battles for survival behind and be up there for many years to come.”
Only Liverpool have earned more points in 2022 than Newcastle and centre-half Dan Burn (above) believes Howe, who took over with the side entrenched in the relegation zone, is a contender for manager of the year.
“Obviously, you have the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, but I think what he has achieved is equally impressive,” said the former Brighton defender. “When you come in and turn things around the way the boss has, I think he is a real contender.
“It’s a different job to what those two have done, but to get us to 40 points with five games to go is monumental.”
Burn arrived at St James’ Park with the odds stacked against the Geordies staying up and admits that he took a gamble quitting the high-flying Seagulls for his hometown club.
“In a way, I let my heart rule my head,” said the 29-year-old.
“Brighton were in a healthy position at the time and Newcastle weren’t.
“It was a risk because potentially, heaven forbid if we had gone down, I may never have played Premier League football again.
“But I was never going to turn down Newcastle, the club I fell in love with as a kid. And as soon as I arrived, I knew that we had enough to stay up.”