Calm Eddie Howe says he was always confident Newcastle could survive

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has steered the club to Premier League safety despite winning none of its first 14 games (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Eddie Howe has insisted he never doubted Newcastle could dig themselves out of the relegation mire after taking on the challenge of securing the stricken club’s Premier League status.

The Magpies were five points adrift of safety when Howe replaced Steve Bruce at the helm in November last year, and in severe danger of slipping out of the top flight for the third time in 13 years.