Howe praises Newcastle squad efforts after historic season

The latest North East sport headlines, from Daniel Wales.

Transcript

00:00Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has praised the efforts of his squad for the entire 2024-2025 season.

00:08That saw the Magpies not only qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years,

00:13but also end the club's long wait for a major piece of silverware.

00:18Newcastle United won the Carabao Cup in March, defeating Liverpool by two goals to one at Wembley Stadium,

00:23ending a 56-year wait for a major trophy and also a 70-year wait for a domestic major trophy.

00:30I think it was probably the run that we had between Brentford and Bournemouth.

00:35I think that was where we felt that we grew in confidence, we grew in our style,

00:39we grew in the knowledge that we were going to just go out and win games.

00:43It was a great period for us.

00:46Yeah, I think it's an unbelievable achievement, I really do.

00:48With, as I said, with everything that's been going on around it,

00:52again, losing Miggie and Lloyd Kelly in January,

00:55where players are thinking we need reinforcements,

00:58we're losing first-team players that we were using.

01:02But the group never used that as an excuse.

01:04It was, OK, it's happened, let's just give a bit more.

01:08That's an unbelievable response from a squad.

01:11And Sunderland's Dennis Sirkin has revealed what was said at half-time

01:15during their Championship play-off final.

01:17There was a sort of calmness, there was a sort of calmness.

01:29We came in, there wasn't any screaming or shouting,

01:34you know, we was 1-0 down.

01:37And that's the thing about this group,

01:41the resilience and the grit, I think.

01:43Like, it amazes me, you know, how much we've been doubted

01:50and to come back from so many setbacks

01:57and, you know, there's that sort of calmness.

02:01We've done it before, you know, so it's just the grit of this squad.

02:06And, like I said, credit to the gaffer, credit to all the coaching staff,

02:10everyone behind the scenes, it's everyone, everyone that takes part in it.