Jamaal Lascelles admits Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has placed signs at the club's Benton training base as motivation for the players to go on a cup run this season. The Magpies started their League Cup campaign in fine fashion with a gritty 2-1 win over Tranmere Rovers on Wednesday.
Lascelles soldiered on despite a nasty nose injury picked up in the first-half as he captained the side for the first time this season. Howe made wholesale changes from the 3-3 draw with Manchester City but has stressed to his players how important a cup run is this year.
Speaking after the Tranmere win, Lascelles says the Newcastle boss is reminding players of the club's 67-year wait for silverware as he bids to bring a trophy to Tyneside. "We’ve always dreamed of it (winning a trophy) and tried for that, but it seems more realistic with this manager," he said.
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“From pre-season he was speaking about it, and the league is huge for us, but these cup games are just as important, and we approached it that way. He put signs up around the training ground about 67 years.
"We all know the importance of it, and the importance to the fans of giving them something. We’re going to give it a real go, and we started that way tonight.”
Howe has made no bones of his desire to win a trophy before he departs Newcastle and sees this season as good a time as any to try and make it a reality.
"I think if I sat here and said I didn't want to win a trophy there would be something wrong with me," the former Bournemouth boss admitted. "That's my dream, to win silverware and win cups and achieve great things for this football club.
"I have to dream big on behalf of the club. Again, that's not saying we are going to do it, it's my dream and then we have to work hard to try to achieve that. And every day I'm pushing to try to make that dream a reality."
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