Sport

What the EFL Cup final means to Newcastle

There is anticipation, mixed with a healthy dose of disbelief in Newcastle, and an exponentially growing percentage of London this weekend.

Even now, mere hours from kick off at Wembley on Sunday, it feels hard for fans to grasp their team are set to face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final. What many haven’t even began to contemplate yet, is that they are potentially just 90 minutes away from a first domestic trophy success since 1955, and first at all since 1969.

Digesting that is difficult; getting to Wembley again, being part of such an occasion, has been difficult enough to get their head around.

For years, Newcastle supporters have been conditioned to expect and accept failure. Whether that be through the perpetual self harm of the 14 year-long Mike Ashley era, or the plethora of near misses during the 1990s.

Defeats in finals have become part and parcel of Newcastle folklore for generations. In 1974, Kevin Keegan, who would go on to become the most important man in the club’s modern history two decades later, inspired Liverpool to victory in the FA Cup final. After he had left as manager, a stint during which the Magpies squandered a 12-point lead atop the Premier League, Newcastle were beaten in successive  years – 1998 and 1999 – by Arsenal and Manchester United respectively, at the same stage.

The only League Cup final appearance, against Manchester City in 1976, also ended in defeat.

Yet there is an unerring sense of positivity as scores of fans – with and without tickets – descend on the capital this weekend. Why? Well, undoubtedly because this is more progress and more positivity than has been experienced on Tyneside in many a year, and that feeds into a connection between the club and its city that can be incredibly powerful when harnessed properly.

The turnaround has been incredible. A year ago, Newcastle were fearing relegation, improving after the takeover but still reeling from winning just once in 14 games. Cup success was something to be aimed at, after a long road of evolution. To be on the brink of ending the trophy drought this early, while also sitting fifth in the Premier League, is quite remarkable.

Dan Burn, one of the first signings in this new era, is a local boy. He grew up when Newcastle were the bridesmaids. Even he didn’t see this coming.

“I have never, ever thought I would be in this position.

“I have said before, but once the takeover happened, I thought the chances of me playing for Newcastle were done. But football works in strange ways and we have come a long way in a short space of time.

“This would be the biggest moment of my career. It would be the pinnacle.”

But there’s also a feeling that this time, it could be different; not only has Eddie Howe, backed admittedly by the financial might of a Saudi Arabian-led consortium, transformed the club on the pitch but he’s made fans believe off it.

There is a worthy retort to accusations of money being the sole reason for such rapid growth, too. Of all the signings made, only Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman have become first team regulars from those that cost north of £30m. Anthony Gordon has just signed, and Alexander Isak has been injured for much of his Newcastle career to date. Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, who is so frustratingly suspended for the Wembley showpiece because of a red card against Liverpool last week, and Burn have proven to be key acquisitions. From a transfer fee perspective, Newcastle didn’t have to break the bank to sign any of them.

And then factor in the improvements in players like Sean Longstaff, but particularly Joelinton and Miguel Almiron is the most pertinent way to measure Howe’s work. Heart and desire was what they had in abundance but he seems to have drawn out the quality they couldn’t show regularly enough before. Almiron has hit double figures for goals this term, but even in games where he doesn’t contribute to major stats, his head is up more, he is calmer, and much more decisive.

When it comes to Joelinton, the only way to describe his complete change in fortunes is that he has gone from a striker who many used to mock, to one of the Premier League’s most effective and powerful all rounders, able to thrive in central midfield and out wide.

Howe doesn’t think his players will be weighed down by history.

“I don’t feel they are burdened by it,” he said. “They feel it as a potential motivation for them. We made them aware before the start of this competition that there has been a long wait for a trophy and I think especially in the early rounds we tried to put pressure on the team.”

Whatever happens, this is a huge day for Newcastle. It means so much, but the challenge is to make such occasions the norm.