Eddie Howe has revealed his half-time warning to his players after Newcastle United secured three points against Nottingham Forest. The Magpies bombarded the Forest goal with 14 first half goal attempts but went in level at the break. But after the interval, Newcastle emerged with the same levels of focus after Howe shared a tip with them during half-time.
Eddie Howe said: “We needed to be patient. It was a brilliant performance from us, I thought. From start to finish, I was very pleased. But at half-time, that game was still very much in the balance despite our dominance. We hadn’t scored. Nottingham Forest had defended well, and we hadn’t been clinical enough in certain moments, so the main aspect of my team talk was to make sure that we didn’t lose our discipline and search for that goal in a disjointed way. Thankfully, we didn’t. The players went out in the second half and the flow of the game was very similar. We got rewarded in the end for that patience.”
Newcastle’s second half showing was largely down to their pre-season programme – one year on after several players had stated they didn’t feel fit enough after the summer of 2021.
Eddie Howe said: “Physically, the players were very good. You go through a five-week pre-season, which is what we put the players through, and during that time, they work incredibly hard. You push them to the limits, and you push them to their limits for this day and the season beyond. You need the right levels in their bodies, and I thought they looked very good today so full credit to my staff and the players for their attitude to that work. Hopefully, that’s the foundation for the rest of the season, so we’ll be able to physically give our best. I was very pleased with that aspect of our play today.”
