Newcastle United mark a year with Eddie Howe

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe says he is determined to deliver a trophy to Tyneside as he marks a year since taking the reins at St James' Park.

Howe has transformed Newcastle's fortunes in his first year as head coach, with the Magpies sitting third in the Premier League and touted by many as serious contenders for European football come the end of the season.

His appointment came shortly after the controversial Saudi-backed takeover of the club.

While the investment brought the promise of challenging the Premier League's elite sides, few would have predicted the rewards would be reaped quite so early.

While his side's recent form is turning heads, the Newcastle head coach is insistent his squad remains focussed on their own performances.

"The challenges we face will be different now," he said. "People will naturally try and build us up to maybe then try and knock us down. We've got to stay away from that and just focus on what we're doing."

When he first faced the media as Newcastle head coach in November 2021, the Magpies sat 19th in the Premier League table, five points adrift from safety. They were without a win in 11 games and were staring relegation in the face - with one pundit saying they needed a "miracle" to stay in the top flight.

Newcastle United went on to end the campaign in 11th place.

Reflecting on his arrival at the club, Howe said: "I think taking myself back, we knew we were in a big fight to stay in the league.

"We wanted to be really solid, we wanted to try and improve our defensive record and that came down to really drilling the players on the training pitch and their attitude towards that as I've said many times, from day one, was so good.

"We felt we had players that were capable of scoring goals. We just needed to try and solidify the team, really."

This season, Newcastle have shipped just 11 goals, making them the joint-strongest defence in the Premier League. At the other end of the pitch, Newcastle are also scoring freely with 28 goals in their opening 14 games.

About £210 million has been invested in the first team squad, with marquee signings including Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Bruno Guimarães.

Meanwhile Howe has also managed to transform players he inherited when he first took the job.

Miguel Almiron, who had become a fringe player in recent seasons, has scored seven goals in his last seven games while Joelinton, who joined as a struggling and goal-shy centre forward, has been reborn as the Magpies' midfield enforcer and a firm favourite among the fans.

Crucially, there seems to be a sense of real togetherness within the dressing room itself. Howe has previously pointed to the leadership traits of defender Keiran Trippier on the pitch and club captain Jamaal Lascelles off it as a key factor in that - but Newcastle finally look and feel like a club fully pulling in the same direction.

Newcastle host Crystal Palace at St James' Park in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday 9 November. The Magpies will run out in front of a sold-out crowd. Howe says he remains determined to deliver silverware for the fans.

He said: "We want to do well in the cups. In every competition we enter we want to try and give the best representation of ourselves. I said very early days here, my dream is to try and win something for Newcastle and that hasn't changed."

They will then play Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Saturday 12 November, their final match before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.

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