‘Feet to the floor’ – Howe’s message to the Magpies as United chase a tenth straight win

The Magpies welcome Howe’s former team to St. James’ Park at the weekend looking for the win that would mark a significant milestone for upwardly mobile United, who moved into the Premier League’s top four with a 3-0 win over Wolves on Wednesday.

Howe insists his side’s approach to the clash with the Cherries will be the same as it has been during the terrific run that has lifted Newcastle up the table, as well as securing a Carabao Cup semi-final place and a place in the FA Cup fourth round.

But he warned that his players will need to be at their best again against Andoni Iraola’s men, who are on a fine run of their own and looking to make it 11 games unbeaten.

Howe spoke ahead of the match at his pre-match media briefing on Friday morning. Here are some of the main talking points:

On the Magpies’ approach to a potentially record-breaking weekend…

“We’ve actually been pretty relaxed during this run – we haven’t focused on it, we haven’t talked about it internally, we’ve just moved on to the next game. We’re definitely not going to change now. It’s just going to be about Bournemouth, and make sure we perform in the right way.

“I’m relaxed about these things. I know it’s something for everyone to talk about and of course we want to win and we want to keep the race going as long as we can but it’s always about how we player.”

In a tight and crowded Premier League table…

“It’s an unusual Premier League season in terms of the league table – very tight and congested. I think every team that goes straight down the league will look at it and think ‘if we can get some consistent results together, we could be in the mix.

“I think it works both ways, so now we have to guard against falling off where we’ve been. We’ve really enjoyed the run and we’ve put ourselves in a really good position – and now it’s about the footy to the floor and trying to win more.”

On Fabian Schär, who missed the midweek win over Wolves through illness…

“We will make a decision today. Fabi trained yesterday and was not 100 percent himself in terms of his well-being. (He has had) a nasty cough, a nasty illness… we will see how he has recovered day.”

On the mindset of his players…

“The players have been very mature in their response in this winning run. The players see this as an expectation they have rather than exceeding expectations.

“They stay focused. There is a belief in the squad that we have good players and we can win games. For us it’s just about staying focused and looking forward to the next game.”

At Bournemouth…

“I like the way they play a lot. I think they’re never out of a game – if you watch them consistently, they’ve had some remarkable turns in games. I think back to Everton and several other games, where they had a really late period of momentum in the game, Ipswich the same, and ended up winning the game. Their spirit is undeniable and in their performance you can see the unity that they play with and Andoni deserves a lot of credit the job he has performed and the style of play they have implemented there.

“They are very difficult to play against, very fast and aggressive. It will be a really good game tomorrow with two teams with mirroring styles, although they are a little different in how it is built. It will be two teams that try to win, that’s for sure.”