Intensity, team photos & fatherly advice: Inside Howe's Newcastle

It is 6 November 2021 and a 1-1 draw at Brighton leaves Newcastle second bottom of the Premier League and facing the very-real prospect of a return to the Championship.

Weeks earlier, the club had been taken over by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, who talked up the idea of Champions League football and winning trophies.

Despite the optimism among fans about entering a new era, such thoughts seemed a million miles away.

But watching on in the stands that day against the Seagulls was Eddie Howe, Newcastle's soon-to-be-appointed manager who, in just 18 months, would oversee a return to Europe and now has the club a win away from ending their 70-year-wait for a major trophy.

This is the story of Howe's transformation of Newcastle.

Howe arrived at Newcastle having done a remarkable job at Bournemouth where, across two spells punctuated by a year at Burnley, he saved them from relegation out of the Football League and then took them all the way to the Premier League.

The Cherries job had been his first as a manager, having been a coach at the club following his retirement from playing at the age of 29 because of a knee injury.

There were two people who hugely influenced the type of manager he wanted to be and would ultimately become - his former Bournemouth boss Sean O'Driscoll and legendary basketball coach John Wooden.

O'Driscoll and Howe crossed paths when the former was still a player at Bournemouth and the latter was 14 and in the club's youth setup.

At that time, they were living in the same village and O'Driscoll would drive the young Howe to training.

O'Driscoll would eventually manage Howe, who became impressed with the former Republic of Ireland international's management style.

"I certainly believe Sean had a huge part in my management style," Howe said.

"I was very lucky, as a young professional, to have such a forward-thinking coach as Sean."

O'Driscoll's football philosophy was based on creativity and possession, while his man-management style was not to shout and criticise players, things that can now be attributed to Howe.

Meanwhile, in his office at Bournemouth, quotes such as "make each day your masterpiece" adorned the walls.

They were from Wooden, considered one of basketball's finest teachers and the other person to have had a significant impact on Howe's thinking after he came across one of his books early into his management career.

Howe was inspired by Wooden's views on getting the best out of players, not treating them all equally but instead as individuals, with their own issues and concerns.

From this, Howe became determined to ensure he would get to know every player individually as a player and as a person and work on improving any weaknesses they had.

Howe immediately set about imprinting his methods at Newcastle. His working day would begin at 6am and he would often not finish until late into the evening.

Players' days off were reduced while training sessions were brought forward to an earlier time and became more intense.

"Jonjo Shelvey said that when Howe first came in he would be so tired by the training that he would be in bed by 8pm," BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck said.

"The players were shattered but he made them fitter, he made them better individually and he made the team better."

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn said that while training was much more intense, he found it enjoyable.

"What I find crazy about the gaffer's training is that we never seem to do the same session twice," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He has so many sessions saved and every single day is something completely new. I really enjoy training and it's something I look forward to every day."

According to Burn, Howe quickly instilled an "us against the world" mentality and that, combined with the rapidly improving fitness, resulted in Newcastle's form improving.

Newcastle finished 11th in the Premier League, 14 points clear of the relegation zone after being cut adrift when Howe came in.

Utilising the methods of man management he learned from O'Driscoll and Wooden, Howe got to know each and every one of his players - their personalities and what makes them tick.

"First and foremost he wants to know how you are as a person rather than as just a footballer, that's what sets him above other managers I've worked under," Burn told Newcastle's official website.

Midfielder Sean Longstaff said: "I am a dad now and you can speak to him about advice and stuff.

"He pulled me in once and gave me a book that he gave to his children. It is more the part that people don't see, it is why I love him so much."

Joelinton is one of the greatest examples of Howe's ability to get the best out of player.

The Brazilian joined the club in 2019, signing for £40m from Hoffenheim. He arrived as a striker but his struggles to score led to him, for a while, being considered an expensive flop.

Howe had a different view and moved the then striker into midfield. He flourished in the position, earning praise for his combative performance and tough tackling, and has not looked back since.

"He improved me as a player, not just me but other players that were here before him," Joelinton said.

"He changed my position but in general his mentality, his passion, his desire to work every day and work hard to improve.

"He is one of the best coaches I've ever had, not just as a coach but in general as a man.

"The way he treats every player, he talks not just about football but about life, he is always here for us. He is like a father figure."

Newcastle's improvement under Howe skyrocketed and, in his first full season, he led them to a fourth-place finish and a return to the Champions League.

The backing from the club's new owners certainly helped with that rapid improvement, with Howe having spent £85m in his first transfer window in January 2022 to bolster his squad in their relegation battle.

They were not, however, what would be described as the sort of big-name players that some might have expected as in came the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier.

The club's precarious league position at that time played a part in the sort of players they were able to attract and, after safety was comfortably assured, Newcastle spent £123m on signings in the summer of 2022.

A club record £63m was spent on Swedish striker Alexander Isak from La Liga side Real Sociedad, while Sven Botman (£35m), Matt Targett (£15m) and Nick Pope (£10m) also came in.

A pre-season training camp in the Austrian Alps was to prove crucial in fostering a close bond between the players and coaching staff, one that would be evident throughout the 2022-23 season as Newcastle maintained their challenge at the top end of the table.

After victories, huge group photos would be posted on the club's social media accounts, a tradition that remains in place to this day.

"They published the first dressing room photo after the first win under Howe against Burnley," Raisbeck added.

"His explanation for why they did it was that he wanted the players and staff in the future to be able to look back and have memories of what they achieved and remember the highs of these specific games."

The 2022-23 season was not just special for Newcastle fans for securing a return to top-level European football, but for also reaching a first cup final at Wembley in almost two decades.

There they faced Manchester United in February 2023 in the League Cup final and there were memorable scenes as thousands of Newcastle fans filled Trafalgar Square before the game, but there wasn't to be a fairytale outcome on that occasion as Newcastle lost game 2-0.

The peak of Newcastle's transformation during Howe's time at the club was to come on Wednesday, 4 October 2023.

That night St James' Park hosted Champions League football for the first time in more than 20 years and a Paris St-Germain team led by Kylian Mbappe was beaten 4-1.

"This was Newcastle United at their best," Raisbeck said. "It will be talked about forever.

"It showed what they were capable of at that moment but also, hopefully, a glimpse of what can be their reality for years to come.

"Winning a trophy will be a hurdle they have to overcome to get to that top level."

Ultimately, they struggled to compete in both Europe and the Premier League while also dealing with an injury crisis that saw them without 20 players at some points.

A run of just one win in seven games from 7 December until 13 January 2024 even saw some talk of Howe being under pressure but their form improved enough to secure a respectable seventh-place finish.

Inconsistency and injuries have been an issue again this season but Monday night's win against West Ham has Newcastle firmly in the picture for a top four finish and heading into the Carabao Cup final with some momentum.

For taking Newcastle from the relegation places to the Champions League there's no doubt Howe has done a remarkable job. Should they now win a trophy then he will undoubtedly earn legendary status.