Howe took over a Magpies team that had no league victories while languishing in the relegation zone and has now guided them to just six short of the widely-acknowledged 40-point safety mark.
The Newcastle boss has been aided by the Magpies’ increased spending power in the previous window, but he has also had to contend with injuries, especially up the pitch.
Lascelles is adamant that what Howe, with help of his staff members, has accomplished at St. James Park is unheard of.
The centre-back explained that it was not just a matter of improving the Magpies’ league position, but Howe also transformed the way they were playing and the direction in which things were heading.
“I’ve said it before, but what the manager and his staff have done since they came in is unheard of”, Lascelles wrote in his programme notes.
“It wasn’t just our league position – it was the way we were playing and how things were generally.”
Despite the big-money takeover, the Magpies were considered candidates for the drop, with fans fearing the new Newcastle project would get off to a slow start.
Howe has however managed to give Newcastle a more than decent chance of staying up and being in the top flight will help them attract a higher calibre of player.
