George Boateng: In the words of Kevin Keegan, I’d LOVE IT if Newcastle finished in the top four

In the second part of an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone, former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Hull midfielder George Boateng discussed Eddie Howe’s influence on Newcastle’s success.

Click on the link for part two in which the Dutchman chatted about Chelsea, Arsenal, Jude Bellingham and Liverpool.

I’d LOVE IT if Newcastle finished in the top four

What pleases me about Newcastle – more than anything – is that I think a lot of people would have expected the board to have sacked the manager as soon as things started to go wrong – but since Eddie Howe’s been in charge, they’ve just gone from strength to strength. Eddie has put himself in a really powerful position with his team playing so well, and fans are on his side.

To see how they’ve gone about their business, with Eddie Howe still in charge and Jason Tindall by his side, I’m really, really happy with their board. There are some great managers out there, Eddie being one of them, and this just goes to show that if you give them these big opportunities, and the time, they’ll deliver for you.

They’re doing so well, and they’re bringing in players who want to play for the football club. They’re not just bringing anyone in. It’s not just about signing skilful, flashy players. They are great when you’re winning and everything’s going well, but when you’re playing in December,and it’s -2C, and you need to fight, scrap, and challenge, are those kind of players going to deliver for you? Currently, they have a really great bunch of players who work extremely hard, they deserve to be where they are.

They’re all playing for each other and there’s no real star player. Of course, Miguel Almiron has been doing really well, and Allan Saint-Maximin is a handful when he’s fit, but they don’t have one superstar in their team. They work for each other, and they’ve got a manager who knows how to get the best out of them as individuals.

They’ve got a goalscorer in Callum Wilson who doesn’t need many chances to find the back of the net. The problem they have at the moment is that they don’t concede goals, so teams know they’re going to be difficult to break down, which means they’re now focusing on trying to stop Newcastle’s attacking threat.

We know Almiron is going to come inside, so teams are doubling up on him. It’s a credit to them, but it’s also a challenge for them. Can they try to find another way to attack? Kieran Trippier is a fantastic right-back and is clearly a strong leader with an incredible eye for a cross, but teams are becoming wise to that, and that creates another challenge for Newcastle.

They’re proving, though, that if you don’t concede unnecessary goals, you’re always going to give yourself opportunities to win games – that’s what the Premier League is all about.

I would love it if Newcastle could finish in the top four… I would love it. And I’m saying that with the accent of Kevin Keegan in mind! It would be amazing. They have the money, they can invest. Anthony Gordon has just come in and, for me, he’s a very good signing.

It would be amazing for those Geordies to experience Champions League football. I want to see Newcastle fans who are so big, with no T-shirt on, with ‘NUFC’ tattooed on their stomachs. I want to see that type of supporter inside the Bernabeu, supporting their team!