Jamaal Lascelles and the art of leadership – No matter the circumstances

This was Eddie’s Howe’s response to questions asked about Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles, regarding his future and his playing time at the club.

“I just want to say, with Jamaal in this group he has been an unbelievable captain. Captaincy does not just exist on the pitch, it has to exist off it as well. The two things are so intrinsically linked so a lot of our success last year came down to a group of players giving everything on and off the pitch.”

One of Eddie Howe’s biggest statements since arriving to the football club back in 2021, was keeping Jamaal Lascelles as club captain.

Although Kieran Trippier carries the armband on matchdays when Jamaal Lascelles doesn’t start, and does so with real leadership, it’s Jamaal’s leadership both on and off the field which is appreciated by fans, players and staff.

Since Jamaal Lascelles was signed by Newcastle United back in 2014, his commitment to the cause has been second to none.

Operating under five managers to date, he’s led from the front, even during one of the club’s most difficult seasons in 2016/17 having been relegated to the Championship.

Showing leadership at such a young age, European Cup winning manager Rafa Benitez had no hesitation in making him club captain in 2016 and the man from Derby hasn’t looked back. Vital in Newcastle’s resurgence back to the Premier League, it was also Jamaal’s performances and leadership that was key to helping Newcastle securing their status in the top division.

Under Mike Ashley’s ownership model, the priority was staying in the league with minimal transfer expenditure. This led to the team playing only one way since Jamaal Lascelles featured regularly in the starting line up, which was defensive with little attacking flair to get the crowd off their seats. Emphasis was on the captain and his back line, as both Rafa Benitez and Steve Bruce’s tactics was to sit back behind the halfway line and hope they could get a positive result.

Jamaal Lascelles played a significant role during this period and was key to securing points on the board, not just defensively, but also in the opposition’s box, where he scored vital goals with his aerial ability being a solid attribute.

He gained individual accolades, including being named in the 2016/17 PFA Championship Team of the Year, winning North-East FWA Player of the Year and claiming Newcastle United Player of the Year during the 2017/18 season on their return to the Premier League.

Since the takeover however, Jamaal Lascelles has not featured as much as any first team captain would want. When Eddie Howe had the opportunity to bring in players during his first transfer window in January 2022, two players who came through the door were defenders Dan Burn and Matt Targett. Pretty much thrown into the starting eleven from the moment they arrived.

Dan Burn and Fabian Schar formed a centre-back partnership which saw Newcastle retain Premier League status and do so comfortably towards the end of that 2021/22 season. When Dutchman Sven Botman arrived in the Summer of 2022, Jamaal’s starting position was under more threat, as the 22 year old came in with a strong reputation and has been a superstar in Newcastle’s defence ever since.

Through all of this, Jamaal Lascelles has never once vented frustrations publicly, or called for a transfer through any source / media. What the captain has been doing is supporting the team with nothing but pure passion from the touchlines, even finding himself in the referee’s book on a few occasions whilst on the bench, which is no mean feat.

When called upon he’s been reliable, whether that be in cup tournaments last season, or most recently coming in for the injured Sven Botman and putting in admirable and top drawer performances against treble winners Manchester City in the Carabao Cup win, as well as the sensational result against PSG on Wednesday night, where he led the team out on his first ever Champions League appearance.

Since Alan Shearer retired back in 2006, you could argue Newcastle had a number of captains who were not fully dedicated to the club’s progression and lacked emotion, whilst having the privilege to hold the position.

Jamaal Lascelles has given the faithful nothing but 100% every time he plays. Whilst it was not that long ago when on a number of occasions, he would be almost an isolated figure, walking round the stadium applauding the four stands at St. James’ Park, no matter the result.

He’s a captain any club would want but Newcastle’s supporters deserve nothing less than a dedicated leader, which he most certainly is.

(Simon also has his very own blog which you can visit here)