Eddie Howe has a message for Newcastle United fans ahead of Wolves, Leicester City and Crystal Palace home games

Now, the club faces a run of three successive games at St James’s Park which Eddie Howe believes will all but decide the team’s fate this season.

And, to that end, Howe wants the club to be united in more than just name when his team runs out to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night. Wor Flags are putting together another display, featuring 1,800 flags, for the sold-out fixture.

United’s head coach has called for supporters to make the atmosphere “as intense as we can” for the fixture – and the games against Leicester City and Crystal Palace which follow it.

“Massive period coming up for us,” said Howe, whose side was beaten 5-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in what was a fourth successive away fixture.

“We were well aware that this run of games we’ve had, and we’ve just exited out of, was a very difficult spell for us. A lot of away games in succession, and, coming to grounds like this, you know they’re very difficult matches.

“We’re pleased to return home, where our form’s been pretty good. But we know we have massive spell, games where we need to maximise.

"We need the crowd and stadium united, and need to make the atmosphere as intense as we can for our opponent. This really is going to be a massive spell which will go a long way to dictating our fate this season.”

Howe feels that that Tottenham defeat was a “reminder that we can’t get ahead of ourselves”.

“I don’t think there’s any point in going hard or negative in any direction,” said Howe. “I think we have to be very positive, I think we have to focus on what’s to come, and what’s to come is an absolutely key week for us ahead.

"If there’s a positive to come from (the Tottenham defeat), it’s just a little jolt, a reminder, that we can get too ahead of ourselves.

"We can’t think we’re better than we are in this current moment. We have to earn every point, they won’t be given to us.”

Newcastle were last beaten at home in the Premier League on December 19, when Premier League leaders Manchester City won 4-0.

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