Sunday’s cup final defeat did not feel like the end for Newcastle United.
While, clearly, the loss to Manchester United at Wembley was hugely disappointing, it’s hard to get away from the feeling like this is merely the first trip the club will make to the national stadium, such is the level of trust supporters have in this regime.
Indeed, to have got so close to ending the trophy drought this early into the PIF era offers so much excitement going forward.
Eddie Howe, however, was in no mood to celebrate merely getting to Wembley.
What Howe did after the Wembley defeat
Howe, who this week spoke of his “relentless” drive to take Newcastle back to the biggest stage, has now revealed what he did in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s loss.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Manchester City, the boss said (via Keith Downie): “Believe it or not…I was eager to watch it again as quickly as I could. I wanted to put it to bed. I wanted answers.
“It takes me a long time but once I have I’m in a good place and I can move forward.”
There will be more Wembley days to come
While that kind of attitude might be taken for granted at other clubs, it is so much of a departure from previous eras at Newcastle that it still feels like something to celebrate.
Not only do the club have the funds to compete at the highest level, they have the burning desire to get there as soon as possible, focusing on the here and now and driving to succeed in the present.
With that kind of combination, Wembley is not so far away…
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