Howe wants to achieve “something special” with Newcastle

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Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe has made clear that he and his group of players want to be the ones to end the long trophy drought at the club, ahead of the League Cup quarter-final clash with Brentford. Daniel Wales reports.

Transcript

00:00Accusations of staleness at Newcastle United had circulated for a few weeks due to poor

00:06form in the Premier League. It was something which head coach Eddie Howe was aware of,

00:11and made clear his attempts to combat it. The win against Leicester on Saturday was

00:16the perfect remedy, but those at the club know it has to be built on.

00:21Newcastle now have the ideal opportunity to do this, with a win against Brentford under

00:25the lights at St. James' Park that would see them progress into the semi-finals of

00:29the League Cup. This is a feat they achieved just two seasons ago, but this time, given

00:34all the recent questions, would perhaps feel even more significant.

00:39Howe made clear that the inconsistency Newcastle have exhibited this season has been a frustration

00:43to everyone at the club, adding that they do not want to take two steps back every time

00:48that they win a game. Given the importance of the cup clash on Wednesday, Howe recognised

00:54that this was the time to turn a corner.

00:58Lifting a major trophy at Newcastle United is something that has evaded those at the

01:02club since the InterCities Fairs Cup win in the 1960s under their then manager Joe Harvey

01:08and his captain Bob Moncur. Newcastle have had good players and good teams since then,

01:14but all have ultimately fallen short of that one goal.

01:17This is something that Howe has been keen to change ever since he took charge at the

01:21club and, ahead of the Brentford fixture, made clear that he and his crop of players

01:26want to be the ones who get over the line and achieve something special. They came close

01:31in the League Cup in 2023, reaching the final, but now they want to go one step further.

01:40Of course, Howe outlined that he knows just how difficult achieving something of that

01:43nature is and will never take anything for granted, but was bullish when he stated that

01:48his side can be a match for anyone on their day and that despite the issues regarding

01:52PSR and APT rules, he believes that the impossible is possible with his players.

01:58One player who Howe has been without for some time now is Sven Bottmann. The Dutch central

02:03defender has been out since the spring, having torn his anterior cruciate ligament, which

02:07required surgery and rehabilitation. Bottmann made his playing return on Monday for Newcastle's

02:13under-21s against Chelsea's youth team. Bottmann played 60 minutes and was lauded

02:21for his composure on his return as Newcastle's young side won 3-2. Howe highlighted just

02:26how much Newcastle have missed Bottmann during his time out and praised his movement on the

02:31pitch despite it being his first game back in several months.

02:37Howe made clear though that Bottmann will not be available for selection for the first

02:42team until at least the end of December or even the start of January and that the club

02:48are easing him back into action in accordance with a plan that they set out for his return

02:53to competitive action in the Premier League and the Cup.

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