When Eddie Howe walked into Newcastle, he as good as walked into a wall. Several, in fact.
Think of any big away ground in the country, including Wembley, and the club’s record there was a losing one. These venues were landmarks of trauma.
Indeed, fans could remember the dates of victories the same way they could their children’s birthdays. December 7, 2013. Their only win at Old Trafford since 1972. Likewise, there had been only one win at the Emirates Stadium. Go back to 1955 for the last Wembley triumph.
These were the walls Howe looked up at, mental barriers that had started to feel forever insurmountable. Fatalism was their identity. Just as well he brought with him a ladder.
For in three-and-a-half years of Howe, Newcastle have scaled those walls. More recently, they have smashed right through them. In the space of eight days at the turn of the year, they won at Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal. It was a Three Peaks Challenge and they planted their black-and-white flag at the summit of each of them. That week felt transformational.
Four months on, and with a first domestic trophy in 70 years secured, they go to the Emirates today knowing that another win in North London would leave them second in the Premier League going into the final weekend of the season.
Newcastle have beat a long-standing mental barrier at big away grounds under Eddie Howe
The Magpies feel like winners, and can win anywhere, with 21 victories in their last 28 games
Winning at Manchester United, Tottenham, and Arsenal in the space of eight days earlier this season proved how far they have come
Staff talk about the muscle memory of those big wins, of feeling like they are no longer making history every time they carve a W on the dressing-room wall. They feel like Winners and, with 21 from their last 28 matches, no team in the country knows winning like Newcastle right now.
‘I don’t think we would have won the Carabao Cup (beating Liverpool in the final) if we hadn’t of had those wins beforehand,’ said Howe, referencing the three peaks.
‘The fact we’d beaten other clubs, not in a one-off situation, but a regular fashion in the last couple of years, helps you go into those games with a belief that you can win again.
‘We have the inner belief that we can win anywhere now. But we know we have to be at our best to do that. If you go back to Manchester City away, we weren’t at our best and were really disappointed with ourselves (4-0 defeat). The players understand that now – if we drop, we’ll get beaten. If we play to our maximum, we can win.’
Newcastle’s maximum, as has been shown since the start of a nine-match winning run before Christmas, is form that would have them challenging for the title.
They trail Liverpool by 17 points and, while it would be a stretch to say they have left that number on the table, there was a five-game winless sequence over autumn that saw them slide to 12th. It led to questions on the outside, but Howe found answers on the inside.
‘The early frustrations we all shared were of inconsistency, where we weren’t performing at the level we knew we could,’ he reflected. ’It was frustrating. We knew players individually were better than they were showing. There were highlights, but it was inconsistent, you never quite knew what we were going to deliver.
‘The second half of the season has been very, very good in that respect – motivation levels, work-rate, the collective desire to achieve have been there.
Howe credits their Carabao Cup win partly to the statement wins they scored beforehand
Toon face Arsenal on Sunday with a real chance of finishing second in the Premier League
The form they have shown in recent months is the sort that can challenge for a league title
‘We haven’t always played well, but I think we’ve seen a real solidity in the team and the run that we’ve been on, the amount of games that we’ve had to win to propel ourselves into this position, can only come from consistency and a collective good spirit amongst the players.’
Consider, too, that Howe has not had a first-team signing in three transfer windows and the altitude is all the more remarkable.
Not that Newcastle are reaching for the oxygen masks just yet. That is the point Howe makes, they feel comfortable here.
In turn, the head coach believes that Champions League qualification – one more win is needed – and a long overdue summer of significant strengthening will enable the ascent to continue.
From fatalism to flags on mountains, Howe arrived with a ladder but has built a staircase. Right now on Tyneside, it feels like the sky is the limit.
