by It’s easy to see why Jamaal Lascelles is not only a Premier League defender but also a captain.
“There were a lot of people probably writing me off saying ‘his time is up’,” he says of last season when, having been an ever-present, he made just two starts in the Premier League for a rapidly evolving Newcastle United side.
“But I will always say that I can look in the mirror having given 100 percent and done everything I can for everyone: for myself and for the club,” Lascelles explains.
“At first it was difficult to get used to the change because if I was fit I always played in Newcastle. But maturity is a huge factor and things are gained if the team plays well even if you are not playing.
“I was smart enough to realize that ‘OK, I may not play, but I’m at a club that could get into the Champions League.’ I was in a fantastic situation. A situation that most people dream of being in.
“So, I wasn’t going to sulk; I wasn’t going to spit out my pacifier. I was going to cherish every moment because it was huge and it might not happen again. I was going to support everyone the same way people had supported me when I played. When you have players like that who put the badge before themselves, it creates real unity in the team. And then, if your time comes, take it.”
Lascelles’ time has come… and he has taken advantage of it. On Tuesday night he will lead Newcastle at the Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain in a must-win (and probably must-win) Champions League tie after re-establishing himself at the heart of Eddie Howe’s team .
Sven Botman’s injury offered the centre-back his chance and he has been among Newcastle’s best players since returning to the team for the League Cup win over Manchester City in September after not starting since March. On Saturday he scored in the impressive (and even more impressive given the list of eliminated players) 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
“It feels like a different Newcastle now,” says Lascelles. “Everyone was running through a brick wall to play for the coach and play for the badge and that’s what I’m doing. I am loving it.”
The manager’s mention brings us to Howe and the transformative effect he has had. Interestingly, Lascelles says he grew up (he began his career at Nottingham Forest before joining Newcastle in 2014) exposed to “old school” managers who were more used to “damn and blind” and barking orders.
“If not, you would be punished,” says Lascelles. “This boss has a completely different approach. I think he sees himself as a father figure to all of us. He wants to make sure we are all well and happy. He has prepared the game room, but he is otherwise strict. He is strict with the way we train; with the standards.
The boss sees himself as a father figure, but we’ve seen the other side too.
“We’ve seen the other side of him where he can try if someone isn’t trying their best. You don’t want to cross that line. I think he has the perfect balance and that’s why everyone respects him and wants to do so well under him.
“It’s: ‘How can we improve you as a person?’ When you have someone who wastes so much time, he arrives at six-thirty in the morning, probably earlier, and he’s the last one to leave. So with the amount of effort he puts into us, you almost feel like you have to give him absolutely everything.”
The playroom? One of the changes under Newcastle’s new owners has been the renovation of the training ground: a new entrance, a gym, a better canteen and, yes, a room where players can play pool or table tennis or just pass the time together.
“No, we didn’t have anything before,” says Lascelles. “This means players could stay an extra half hour after training and bond a little more. It makes the difference. When you go to work and it’s a dilapidated building and there’s nothing to do and there’s no central heating and things like that, it’s not a really fun place to be and that can affect your mood and so on.
“But when there is everything here for you and there are so many attentive people (the improvements in the canteen, with the chefs, everything), it means that you are eager to go to work and want to stay even longer. You talk to more people and you build relationships that you wouldn’t necessarily have built if those facilities weren’t there and that’s huge for sports: building that chemistry. The coach loves to create team bonds and we do that every day.”
The change of ownership in October 2021, away from Mike Ashley, seems to have changed everything.
“We have owners who want us to succeed so well and so fiercely,” Lascelles says. “You almost feel like you can’t make any mistake and if you combine that hard work with a manager who breathes the same – ambition, work pace, culture, philosophy – and to that you add the improvement of the facilities, the staff added. It’s little one percent everywhere. Nothing has made a big change overnight, but little by little we are adding one percent in each department, in each area. And that makes a big difference.
“It’s probably also very different to the Manchester City takeover when it was about ‘go out and spend’. “It’s a different era with those little one percent improvements, although ultimately it’s the coach who has made the biggest difference.”
As he speaks, the mind wanders back to an episode last summer in Philadelphia during Newcastle’s pre-season tour of the United States when Howe spontaneously grabbed the microphone and asked the crowd if he could say a few words before offering an impassioned explanation of how How important Lascelles was and why he is still the captain.
“I didn’t have to take the microphone and say that. It was spontaneous. Totally,” says Lascelles. “I knew the answer before the press conference because I talk to him all the time, so I wasn’t surprised by what he said.
“I was surprised that maybe he took the microphone and gave it to everyone there to stop asking these questions! It’s another reason why I value him so much as a coach because he is a fair man, a correct man. He has fit in absolutely perfectly. At Bournemouth they used to play really good attacking football and having been here for so long I knew that was what the fans wanted. “Football with the front foot.”
Another simple change introduced by Howe was the establishment of a leadership group of senior players: Lascelles, Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Matt Ritchie. “We have weekly meetings, is there a problem? Are there things we should improve? Lascelles says.
“At 23 years old, trying to lead and manage 25 guys is a difficult job”
“Over the years at Newcastle, and I’ve been captain since I was 22 and now I’m 30, there have been times when I’ve been left alone. “At 23 or 24 years old, being a young captain and trying to lead and manage 25 guys is a tough job.”
Of course, everything was made even more difficult due to the toxic atmosphere that surrounded the club. At times under Ashley it felt like a civil war and Lascelles, who was appointed captain under Rafael Benitez and retained under Steve Bruce, was often the glue that held things together.
“At first, when they gave me the bracelet, of course, it was a great honor, but I don’t think I realized how big it was. The responsibility was enormous,” says Lascelles.
“I’ve had some real testing times. Real testing times. But I don’t know, I have a very strong mentality and I am quite motivated. I always think that everything will be fine. That’s all really.
“I have good people around me and I believe that if you work very hard, good things will come back to you. But it hasn’t been a bed of roses. That’s sport. There are so many people who want to be in my place. “Even when things aren’t going well, it’s a really privileged position.”
Before the acquisition, Lascelles received a phone call from one of the co-owners, Amanda Staveley. “I was very excited for what was to come. “I think I was more excited about the fans and the city,” she says.
“Amanda called me to tell me what was going on and she introduced herself. We had a brief chat and it was quite special as she didn’t have to do that. But that put everything in good shape before I even met her. “They are great people, really attentive people.”
It has been an adventure. Just seven years ago, Lascelles captained Newcastle against Rotherham United, hoping to move up to second place in the Championship. Now it is the Champions League that produced such a remarkable performance in the unforgettable 4-1 victory at St James’ Park to chain the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé and Goncalo Ramos (a £350 million forward ).
“I’ve seen it all. When I first joined: young, raw, fresh and now having played in the Champions League. It’s an extraordinary journey and something I’m really proud of; something I want to continue to strive for and do good for Newcastle,” says Lascelles.
The victory over PSG gives Newcastle “enormous confidence” for this week’s match. “They are obviously a world-class team, possibly one of the best teams in the world. But the preparation that the coach puts into training and how to beat them worked very well,” argues Lascelles.
Newcastle’s track record makes him even more determined to remain in the team; at the club and as captain. “Yes, completely. I always joke and tell my dad ‘I wish I was 23 years old on this team,’” Lascelles says. “I’m loving every minute of it. To have seen so many ups and downs and for the fans to now experience this is exactly everything they deserve.”
Are we now seeing the best of him too?
“I would probably say yes,” Lascelles agrees. “I’m quite modest, so it’s a difficult question to answer, but when you’re in a team and you have all these world-class players around you, your job is a lot easier. The team has improved and the people have improved with the team.”
