Newcastle faced off against the Midlands club at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime but neither side could break the deadlock in a game which finished scoreless.
Neither side could count on the midfield talents of Jacob Ramsey, either, as the much-loved Villan put the finishing touches on a move to the north-east.
Ramsey has signed a long-term contract with the Toon Army and in doing so aids Villa's battle to remain the right side of English football's much-derided Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSR).
Bournemouth hero: 'Howe's training is unlike anything else'
The born-and-bred Villa Park academy graduate moves to Newcastle, much to the dismay of his former teammates, and the delight of his new ones, which includes Anthony Gordon with whom Ramsey developed a close relationship and partnership on the field for England's Under-21 setup through the years.
Ramsey cited the influence of Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe in his decision to join the Magpies and is likely to be thrust into the action immediately when Liverpool visit St. James' Park on Monday, August 25.
One of Howe's most trusted lieutenants has told the ex-Villa man what to expect from his new boss, having played 233 times under Howe whilst at AFC Bournemouth.
Charlie Daniels spoke to FourFourTwo about former Cherries manager Howe, for whom only four players have made more appearances than the left-back throughout his coaching career.
"New players coming in, it will be different training to probably what they've had before at different clubs, I'm pretty sure of that from what we had at Bournemouth. It was very demanding. It was intense. It was full-out. But with the idea of winning a game of football on the Saturday."
Daniels was a part of the Bournemouth squad which won two promotions in three seasons under Howe, en route to the Premier League.
The defender played 42 times as the Cherries were promoted from the Championship in 2015 and missed just eight league games across their first three Premier League campaigns.
"He [Howe] does build a culture in a football club like he did at Bournemouth, and he's doing it now in Newcastle. He's building that culture of of all in together and trying to improve, and when, when you get success as well, it gets an even bigger buy-in. So, then the culture that he creates gets bigger and bigger.
"The way he is in the media is totally different to the way he is on the training pitch. He's all-in on things, he's passionate, he's enthusiastic, he's ruthless at the right time, he's driven, he demands standards, and that's the only way, for me, how players improve."
Ramsey adds depth to Newcastle's midfield, which functioned impressively during their season opener at Villa Park. With Champions League football and a Carabao Cup to defend as well this season, there will be plenty of minutes to be had for the new recruit.
TOPICS
