There’s no doubt that Eddie Howe and his staff have done a brilliant job at Newcastle since they came in on November 7th after Newcastle’s new owners failed in their attempt to sign Villarreal coach Unai Emery.

Emery took Villarreal to the semi-finals of the Champions League and last night they were beaten at home 3-2 by Liverpool in the second leg, with three second-half goals conceded and by an overall aggregate of 5-2.

So you can see why our owners wanted Emery.

But since Howe came in, it’s difficult to imagine how anybody could have done better, and this year we have surged up the league table to 10th place with 10 wins in our 16 games this year and 32 points.

An average of 2 points a game is great stuff, and Howe will be hoping to do well in our final 3 games of the season.

Once the last game is over at Burnley on May 22nd, Howe will hopefully take some time off vacation with his family – wife Vicki and 3 sons – his hard work and skill have saved Newcastle this season.

Eddie Howe has been talking to the Chronicle about the Youth and U23 teams and one thing we have to do is produce some young stars coming through the Academy.

This is what Howe has said about that in the Chronicle today coming off a 13-0 loss for our U-18 team at Manchester City:

“I don’t think results are the be all and end all. So even if teams have struggled or not had the best season as a team, for me it’s not about that.

“It is about the individuals coming through to the first-team here. Definitely if there is a disconnect, I want to bring the Academy, the Under-23s, everything, closer to us.”

“We try to do that already to an extent by having training once a week with the Under-23s who come in with the first-team. We try to integrate things that way.”

“I think that’s important that we embrace everything to do with the football club.”

“Nothing would please me more than to bring two or three players through per year that can really compete and get into the first-team.”

“That might be some way off, but I’d love to do that.”

“Looking across it, I think Ben Dawson has done a great job in terms of bringing us information on everything to do with the Academy. And that relationship is hugely important.”

Newcastle will bring in Dan Ashworth as Director of Football, probably in November, unless we pay £5M to release him from a clause in his previous contract at Brighton.

Former goalkeeper Steve Harper is the Academy Director, and we have been linked with Brighton’s former Academy boss John Morling, who could be brought in this summer.

Eddie Howe’s interface to the younger sides is Ben Dawson, but as we know, lots of things can change this summer – all for the good of the new Newcastle United.

It’s all going to be so exciting and invigorating for our long-suffering fans.

Long may it continue.

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