Eddie Howe has admitted that the spirit Newcastle United players have shown this season is up there with the most 'special' teams he has ever managed.
Howe took charge of a side who were low on confidence, without a win and languishing in 19th place in the table last November. Although Howe went on to end that winless run a few weeks later, against Burnley, no team had ever stayed up in the Premier League after failing to win any of their opening 14 league games.
Some smart business in January undoubtedly helped - Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Matt Targett all played their part - but the work ethic and togetherness that Howe and his staff fostered was also at the heart of Newcastle's turnaround. Having won just one game in the first half of the campaign, Newcastle went on to finish the season in 11th with their best points total in eight years after picking up 39 points in the second half of the campaign alone.
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Howe had previously pulled off another great escape in his first job at Bournemouth, when the Cherries started the campaign with a 17-point deduction after going into administration, and went on to take the Cherries from League One to the Premier League in his second spell at the club. However, this group at Newcastle have clearly left their mark on Howe after just a few months together.
Howe wants Newcastle to evolve, of course, but there is a reason why the Magpies' boss is desperate not to disrupt the dressing room with too many signings this summer and, instead, retain the spirit that has served his side well.
"When we came in, we were aware of our fixtures," he told Sky Sports. "We had a very difficult run-in - Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and then Burnley to finish - so we were prepared to go to the final day.
"We thought it probably would. In some senses, we hoped it would because that would mean we would be in with a chance because, at one stage, we were so far away, but the players deserve enormous credit for what they've done.
"The consistency, the unity and spirit is up there with some of the best teams that I've ever managed and that's saying something because I believe I've managed some special teams."
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