Lewis Hall’s start to life as a Newcastle United player has not been easy.
While he is playing regularly now and is impressing in a Newcastle United shirt, that was not the case when he first arrived.
Lewis Hall could not get a game to begin with, and most of his early starts ended with him being substituted at half time. There were suggestions that Eddie Howe did not trust him defensively, while some onlookers questioned Newcastle United’s decision to spend £28million on him.
But Hall was signed because of his potential, rather than his ability to have an immediate impact at St James’ Park.
Lewis Hall shares what playing for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle is really like
In truth, it is difficult for any player to have an immediate impact under Eddie Howe. That is because he is such a demanding manager, and his Newcastle United team is incredibly difficult to play for.
That surprised Lewis Hall, who has spoke to the club’s official website about how tough it is to play and train for the current Toon boss.
“It’s incredibly difficult [to play the way Eddie Howe wants],” he said.
“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It’s not just physically either. Obviously physically it’s a very difficult team to play in.
“But tactically and technically you’ve got to be superb, and you’ve got to know what he wants you to do. Obviously everyone makes mistakes but you’ve got to be very tactically aware of everything that’s going on.
“It’s a very different style to what I played at Chelsea. It took me a while to adapt to that, but I felt like as time went on I started to get the hang of it. I’m grateful for everything now and can hopefully continue what I’m doing now.”
Hall has shown real signs of improvement at Newcastle
It was tough at the beginning for Hall. He was behind physically, while he arrived at Newcastle as a very inexperienced player.
Yet more was expected given his price tag and Newcastle’s recent record in the transfer market. The Magpies had not made many mistakes, but the early indication was that this was a major blunder.
All the while, there was so much noise surrounding Hall. Fans wanted to know why he was not playing, while Eddie Howe field questions about the teenager every week from the media.
But in the background, Hall was working hard and learning. He was discovering exactly how he was going to be a success in Eddie Howe’s team, and now that hard work is paying off.
Hall is a trusted member of the Newcastle team, and looks like a player who could have a long and bright future at St James’ Park. And when he does become a true star, he will reflect on the hard work he had to put in during his first season.
Howe is a very demanding manager, but it means that the rewards are so much greater. Hall is discovering that, having been surprised by how challenging it was to begin with.
That should serve as a reminder to any player who joins Newcastle United this summer. Not many players hit the ground running under Howe. It will take time to succeed and improve, but you will do exactly that if you put in the hard yards.
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