A lot has changed since that fateful day in October 2021 – the new ownership brought in new management, the new management brought in a new way to train and play, the players brought in a new belief, then new players were added and suddenly we were transformed.
This season is such a contrast to last that at the same point of the season when last season we gained form, this season we feel like we’re losing it. But the big difference, the one thing that truly shows how much we’ve changed is that we’re still picking up points even when we’re not at our best.
Fans last night were moaning at picking up a draw. Yes, it was a game we probably should have won, much like the one against Leeds, but the important thing is, they are games we didn’t lose.
We’ve slipped behind a resurgent Manchester United in the table now, but we’re still in those Champions League places and our closest rival to that fourth spot is, at the time of writing, four points adrift. Today, Tottenham play second-placed Manchester City who will be out to close the gap on Arsenal after their shock defeat yesterday, so by the end of the day, Tottenham could still be four points behind having played a game more than us.
So while it’s easy to focus on the dropped points or the poor performances as that’s how history has conditioned us poor Mags to think, there are still plenty of things to be positive about, and that’s a monumental change for Newcastle United.