Eddie Howe wanted to 'step onto pitch and applaud' at what he saw before Newcastle United win

The work of Wor Flags has again been praised by Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe, who took particular delight at Saturday's offering in the Gallowgate.

A banner reading: "I love representing this city... Representing the people that are me" was unfurled at the bottom of the stand, while situated above it sat an even bigger design, with the faces of the 11 Geordies in Eddie Howe's squad adorned across it.

The message was sent to show appreciation to the local lads in the Newcastle setup, some of whom have struggled for minutes this season. For the likes of Paul Dummett, Ben Parkinson, Mark Gillespie and Amadou Diallo, who have mostly sat and watched on despite never-ending injuries to key players, the display must have been an incredible sight as they viewed it from the sidelines at St James' Park.

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"I wanted to step onto the pitch and applaud it, to be honest, because I can't celebrate those players enough," Howe told reporters after the 4-0 win over Tottenham. "I know I say it in a lot of press conferences but when you see behind the scenes what they give, they really do need celebrating and it was a brilliant gesture, brilliant flag and a lovely presentation. I know that mean a lot to those players involved."

As well as featuring the fringe players in Howe's squad, there was also nods to the likes of Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Lewis Hall and Dan Burn. The last mentioned deserves even more appreciation than most after a tricky campaign as a whole.

Burn has been solid as a rock in recent weeks, playing an integral part as Newcastle picked up 10 points from 12 in their last four outings. The defender showed his class off the ball too as he fulfilled a promise to a group of deaf Newcastle supporters, finding TNT Sport cameras after Alexander Isak found the net and performing a sign language celebration down the lens to those watching at home.

On a day where Newcastle sponsor Sela donated their front of shirt spot to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, the gesture was a brilliant touch on what proved to be an emotional afternoon for those inside St James' Park.

"He's been a big part of our leadership team for a long time. But, out of that leadership group he's the only one who is fit, which is a problem for us," Howe said of Burn at full-time.

“When you lose the voices and the positive inputs that those players are providing, it certainly leaves a bit of a gap. Then you need other players to step up.

“I think we do have other leaders who are emerging, but Dan's been one consistent for us. He's been huge for us in lots of different respects; he's an absolute role model really for everyone to look at. He does lead by example every single day."