Eddie Howe's turned Newcastle United into a 'culture' club

Howe, appointed last November following the departure of Steve Bruce, has set about transforming the playing side of the club.

Newcastle, in the relegation zone when he took charge, are 15th in the Premier League ahead of this afternoon’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.

And Howe believes “little things” behind the scenes can make a big difference on the field.

“The culture of any organisation will determine its success, so how people interact with each other, and you can stimulate that just with little things to try to get people talking and mixing in different groups,” said United's head coach.

“Everything we do is trying to create a better working environment, create respect – I think ‘respect’ is a huge word – between staff and players and players with themselves, and knowing that we’re all there for the same purpose.

“Although the players will be earning millions of pounds and big names, everyone is important, young or old, staff member or player. Creating that environment is absolutely key.”

Howe and his staff take time to get to know the players and their backgrounds in the belief that this knowledge can help them get the most out of them on the pitch.

“There’s a lot I might think I know about a person, but then when they start to talk about themselves and their childhood and certain things that have happened in their life, you find out a totally different view that you by normal conversations wouldn’t find out,” said Howe.

“It’s very healthy not just for me to know that but the rest of the squad, and it can start relationships and conversations about things that normally wouldn’t happen.

“We’ve had some really interesting talks, and you find out a lot more about the players’ character.

“You’ve got to know about your players’ private lives, you’ve got to know do they have kids, what makes them tick, loads of different factors that can go into making a player happy or unhappy off the pitch.

"You’ve got to try to find ways to help them.”

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