Newcastle United are a different beast when they play at St James’ Park.
Since becoming manager, Eddie Howe has transformed St James’ Park into a fortress, with his team rarely disappointing Newcastle fans when they play on Tyneside.
While there have been some concerns about the atmosphere this season, the performances at St James’ Park have been flawless. As of now, only Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund have beaten the Magpies at SJP this season.
Newcastle has beatenc, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Those games have been incredible, with Eddie Howe’s players consistently delivering at home.
On the road, the story has been a little different, which is something Newcastle needs to work on as we approach the halfway point of what is shaping up to be another memorable season.
But, as with the previous season, St James’ Park is a unique football venue. Howe has discovered the magic formula and encourages his players to involve the crowd as much as possible.
What Eddie Howe has the Newcastle players do
Eddie Howe, according to the Athletic, has been encouraging his players to do everything they can to rally supporters and make some noise.
This is demonstrated repeatedly by Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. They are always eager to flail their arms after winning a tackle, causing fans to raise the volume inside the stadium.
The Toon Army always respond with a roar, as they do their best to give the players an edge over their top.
It is wise from Howe to get his players to do this. It is a cliche but the crowd can be the 12th man, as we have seen so often over the past couple of years.
Howe is wise to have his players do this. It’s a cliche, but the crowd can be the 12th man, as we’ve seen so many times in recent years.
When his team plays at St James’ Park, Howe is correct to try to maximize the crowd’s effectiveness.
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